You Should Have Met Me in 1864
by shnook35
Summary: Set after season 3, What if, after a spell gone wrong, Elena is sent back to 1864 in the middle of the Stefan/Katherine/Damon love triangle? Will she fall in love with Stefan all over again or choose the other brother. Full summary in first chapter.
1. Chapter 1

_With Stefan with Klaus and so many of her loved one's dead, Elena's life feels empty. Bonnie agrees to help her find a way to go back, to start over and choose once again whether to let the Salvatore brothers into her life or not. What happens when a spell goes horribly wrong and she is sent much farther back in time than planed? Will she fall in love with Stefan all over again or choose the other brother instead?_

_Inspired by Damon's dying words: You should have met me in 1864. You would have liked me._

**A/N: So I couldn't help myself. With no TVD I have so many thoughts swirling around inside of my head and this was one of them. The summary explains all that I am willing to say about this right now. I hope you like it! Enjoy!**

Chapter One

_Dear Diary,_

_My life feels so pointless._

_(Erase)_

_Dear Dairy,_

_The animal attacks on the news are multiplying daily as they move farther from Mystic Falls. I know it's him._

_(Erase)_

_Dear Diary,_

_I'm so thankful that Damon is safe but…_

_(Furiously erase)_

I put my diary aside, frustrated that I had not been able to write a single entry as a knock sounded on the front door of the house. I couldn't imagine who it could be. For almost two weeks now, I hadn't had any real contact with anyone outside my own house. My main objective was to comfort Jeremy. He was taking Jenna's death excruciatingly hard and slept most of the time. Bonnie, Ric, and Damon were on Stefan patrol. Bonnie poured over books trying to find anything to help combat what Klaus had become. Damon and Ric did their best to help, but mostly contacted others, trying desperately to find help. What we were going to have to face to find Klaus, kill him, and save Stefan was feeling insurmountable.

I made my way to the stairs, checking in on Jer on my way. He lay in a tangle of sheets deep in sleep, his lips muttering words I could not hear, though I knew what they probably were. For two weeks he had been having nightmares, and not just involving Jenna. Anna and Vicky constantly haunted his dreams.

I quietly closed his bedroom door and tiptoed down the stairs to the front door, cautiously looking out the window before allowing anyone in. To my surprise, it was Damon. I unlocked the door and let him in. He was carrying bags from at least three different fast food places around town.

"So, I've found the missing Elena," he said, attempting to joke and lighten the dense, depressing mood that certainly permeated the house as he walked past me into the kitchen.

I smiled a weak smile, following him and slowly shook my head at the outstretched food before me.

"I'm not hungry."

"Frankly, Elena, I don't give a damn," he said. "Bonnie said that you haven't been eating, so I've come to feed you, even if I have to hold you down and force feed you. And trust me, I am willing to hold you down."

Damon raised his eyebrows suggestively, and I rolled my eyes. Giving in, I sat down at the kitchen table.

"Fine," I consented. "But you do realize that you brought an array of the unhealthiest food to feed me with, right?"

"Well we have to start somewhere. Now which one do you want?"

I reached out reluctantly for the Arby's bag sitting in front of Damon and spilled the contents onto the table in front of me.

"Good choice," he said. "You think Jeremy would mind the McDonalds? I can put it in the fridge for him."

"You're wasting you time thinking he's going to bother eating, but sure," I responded.

Damon frowned and went to put the bag of food in the fridge. He came back and opened the last bag of Burger King and started munching on fries. I zoned out, bouncing the curling fry in my hand up and down, thinking about how everything I tried to eat was just so unappetizing recently. Damon's voice interrupted my thoughts.

"Elena." His voice was stern. "Eat."

I rolled my eyes once again and stuck the fry in my mouth. We continued eating in silence for a while.

"You know…. everyone's really worried about you, Elena," Damon said after a while.

I responded with silence. I knew this. I wasn't stupid. Bonnie had called over and over. Ric constantly stopped by to 'check on the house.' Caroline texted me so much for the first couple of days after Stefan left that I opted to turn off my cell. Damon was the only one that had really given me my space since it had all happened and there were obvious reasons.

First of all, it was because that's exactly what he would want in my situation. Not to talk. To shut his feelings out. Also, I knew that he felt guilty. The one time that he had tried to call and left a message the guilt laced his voice. He was sorry that Stefan had chosen this life because of him, but I didn't blame him. I couldn't blame him. Even though Stefan was gone, I was glad that Damon was alive and well. The thought of what I would do if things had ended differently with him had crossed my mind, and it frightened me.

My final reason for explaining his avoidance was sketchier—something that I personally had thought but was too uncomfortable to dwell on in much detail. It was that he avoided me because he didn't know what to make of that night. Me laying beside him, kissing him softly. Yes he was dying, but I didn't have to do it. I knew that I for one was scared to death to open that box and talk about it, so I figured he was as well.

Damon cleared his throat, gaining my attention again.

"Bonnie wanted me to tell you that she's coming over tomorrow. She wants to have a _girls day in_—whatever that is."

"She needs to be looking for a way to find Stefan," I said, not really thinking about how demanding that sounded with me sitting in this house doing nothing to help.

"She _needs_ a break Elena. She's been searching day and night. She's worried about you." He paused. "_I'm_ worried about you."

The concern in his voice pricked at my emotions, and I felt my eyes start to grow wet with tears for the hundredth time today. Clearly seeing how upset I was, Damon stood and rounded the table, pulling me into a tight embrace. I answered by burying my head into the hollow of his shoulder and crying.

"Shh," he whispered. "It's going to be ok. We'll find him, Elena."

I pulled my head up and looked into his eyes.

"And what if you do? What is he going to be like, Damon?"

"It doesn't matter," he responded. "We can fix anything, he'll be fine. It would just take time."

The concern that had been growing bigger in my mind for the past week surfaced again and I felt as though I would explode if I didn't voice it.

"What if it matters to me?" Damon looked down at me confused, so I continued. "The police found dozens of bodies before the end of the first week of him being gone, and the only reason they didn't find more was because he left the area. Him telling me about what he did decades ago scared me, when he lost control months ago that scared me even more."

I took a deep breath that shook with a sob hidden deep in my throat before I continued.

"Damon, I'm scared of him. What if I can't love him after everything that he's already done in such a short time, let alone what he will do before we can finally stop him?"

I broke into hysterical sobs then. I had gotten it off my chest. Guilt filled me. How could I think these things?

"I'm horrible," I croaked. "I'm the most horrible person. I don't know if I can love my own boyfriend. I can't even help you guys find him because I'm scared of what will happen when we do. And to top it all off, while he was off sacrificing everything, I was kissing his brother."

Damon's arms tensed around me and, I brought my hand to my mouth, trying to catch words that were already long gone.

Damon lifted my chin with his finger and made me look into his eyes.

"You thought I was going to die, Elena," he stressed, his voice quaking. "You were comforting a dying man who admitted to loving you."

I shook my head slowly, pulling his hand out from underneath my chin.

"What if that's not all it was," I sobbed. "What if—"

I stopped there from a mixture of overwhelming tears and fear of finishing my sentence—fear of speaking the things that had been haunting my waking thoughts and sleeping dreams.

"Elena—" Damon started, his voice shaking, but I cut him off, wanting desperately to change the subject. Asking a question that I had asked myself over and over for months, but even more in the last couple of days

"What if you could take it all back? What if you could stop me from allowing you and Stefan into my life?"

Damon's answer came faster than I expected, like it was a no brainer.

"I wouldn't do it. It may be the most selfish thing I ever say, but I would never want you out of my life, Elena. I will always want you there."

**A/N: Reviews make me happy! **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Second chapter is up. Hoping to update frequently as I have been doing on my other stories, but it will depend on how my summer class goes that is starting on Monday : ( This is the only story I'm not ahead on. Do not fear though readers! Lol I will continue this…. Just be patient if the weekly updates get a little off. **

Chapter 2

After Damon had left later that night, I went to bed almost immediately, crying until I fell asleep. I woke up the next morning to the smell of pancakes and bacon, and my stomach growled at me. Expecting to find Damon trying to force food on me, I was surprised to see Bonnie cooking breakfast when I finally pulled myself out of bed and down the stairs. Jeremy was sitting at the kitchen table, looking a fraction less miserable than usual.

"Bonnie?"

"Morning, Elena!" she said, trying to sound extra chipper. "Hope you don't mind the intrusion, but I realized that I have been putting off my best friend and boyfriend for the past couple of weeks."

Without responding I took a seat beside Jer and raised my eyebrows in question to him. He shrugged his shoulders in surprisingly playful defeat as Bonnie placed food in front of us both and chatted away.

…

After breakfast had been eaten and plates cleared away, Bonnie convinced Jeremy to take a much-needed shower as she and I made our way to the couch.

"So Damon told me he was coming here last night…how did that go?"

I knew she was asking if he got me to eat and to get out of my bed for a least a little while, but remembering the night before and the things we had said brought fresh tears to my eyes.

"Horribly," I admitted through my sniffles.

"What? What did the jerk do to make you feel even worse?" Bonnie asked defensively, her true feelings for the eldest Salvatore brother showing vividly on her face. "I swear that man—"

"He didn't do anything," I interjected quickly before Bonnie could take her wrong idea any further. "I admitted some things that I would have rather I didn't."

Confusion clouded her face.

"Like what?" she asked.

Not wanting to go into complete detail about every embarrassing thing I had said, I paraphrased as I held back my tears as best I could.

"That I'm scared of what Stefan has become—what he is. That I don't know if things will ever be the same, even if this turns out for the so called _best._"

"That's completely understandable, Elena." Bonnie put her hand on my shoulder, and I started to cry openly again. I was like a freaking water fountain.

"I know, I know. It's just I've been wishing and wishing there was a way to take it all back. To turn time around, go back and never let Stefan and Damon into my life. That way even if Klaus still found me, he could just take me for his stupid sacrifice. No one would have felt like they needed to save me, no one but me would have gotten hurt, and I would have been oblivious until that point about the supernatural world that wanted me dead." I took a breath from my rambling and continued. "It's so selfish…. I care about Stefan and Damon so much, but all I can think is that I want to take it all back."

"It's not as selfish as you think, Elena," Bonnie said.

In a way she was right. It would have saved so many innocent lives if I had told Stefan to stay away.

"It doesn't matter," I sighed. "No use in trying to take back what is already done"

I looked up at Bonnie, she fidgeted and picked at her nails, a sign that I knew meant that she was contemplating telling me something.

"Bonnie?"

"What if I told you that it could happen?" she blurted out. I must have looked taken back because she continued. "Looking through Gram's grimiore for the last two weeks hasn't turned up anything about stopping Klaus yet, but I have learned some pretty interesting stuff."

She reached for her purse and pulled the big, musty book out that I recognized as her grandmother's spell book and turned to a page that looked rather ratty. The writing was all in a language that I could not understand, except for a penciled in note that said: "Use with extreme caution. Emergency use only."

"Do you consider this an emergency?" Bonnie asked.

A flicker of hope lit up in my chest as the first true smile I had had in weeks spread across my face.

…..

After telling Jeremy that we were going to Bonnies for a while, we hurried to her house. My heart pounded in my chest the whole way over as I thought about what this could mean. I would have Jenna back. Jeremy would have Vickie. Stefan wouldn't have to lead the life that he recently chose. Bonnie would have her Grams back. The only problem weighing on my mind was Damon and the man he was before our lives had intersected.

"Are you ready to do this?" Bonnie asked when we were finally parked outside her house.

"I think so," I said, my voice shaking.

Once in the house, Bonnie wasted no time in getting the needed materials for the spell, which didn't consist of much. The pentagram was drawn in chalk on her living room floor, candles were lit, and I was holding the antique clock she had brought from her parent's study.

"You have to promise me one thing," she said as she opened her grandmother's book. "Go to Gram's house as soon as you get there. Tell her what happened. I want her to still teach me about my powers even when I don't remember any of this."

"Promise," I said.

Bonnie took a deep breath.

"Ok. You need to keep ahold of the clock and think over and over when you want to be transported to."

"Is that really all I need to do?"

"Yep," Bonnie replied.

Bonnie stepped back out of the circle of candles, leaving me to stand there by myself. She started chanting in what sounded like Latin and then the flames grew tall. I gasped as the room grew dark and started thinking about where I wanted to end up. The first day of school after my parents died came to my mind. I hadn't met Stefan yet. I was going to start my life over for good.

Over my thoughts I could hear Bonnie, now saying things I could understand.

"Power if witches rise, course unseen across the skies, take her back to where she'll find, what she wish in place in time."

An icy cold pressure closed in around me and I struggled to keep thinking, "First day of school 2010, first day of school 2010."

It was then that my mind took a tragic turn and started contemplating what I was leaving behind.

…

"_What if you could take it all back? What if you could stop me from allowing you and Stefan in my life?"_

_Damon's answer came faster than I had expected, like it was a no brainer._

"_I wouldn't do it. It may be the most selfish thing I ever say, but I would never want you out of my life, Elena. I will always want you there."_

…..

I landed with a hard thump on my back. My eyes were shut tight. I felt grass under my body, heard birds in the air around me. When I opened my eyes, I realized almost immediately where I was—Mystic Falls Cemetery.

It worked. Bonnie's plan had worked. I took a huge sigh of relief and lowered my head onto the damp ground again. I wasn't surprised that I had appeared here of all places. I had frequented this place daily in the months after my parents' death. I had even come on my first day of school that August.

Possibities of the new life ahead of me raced through my mind. It was then that I heard the footsteps approaching. They would be Stefan's. He had followed me to the cemetery that day. As hard as it would be, I would tell him to leave. I would not allow my choices to destroy so many lives again.

I opened my eyes at that moment, and was shocked to see not Stefan staring down at me, but his brother. Before I could respond he was beside me on the ground leaning up on one elbow, looking at me as though he had never seen someone so beautiful in all his life.

It took my breath away momentarily, until he leaned in to kiss me and I realized that this shouldn't be happening.

"Damon, stop," I shouted stopping his advance by putting my hand on his chest. "What the hell do you think you are doing?"

He looked down at me rejected and confused. Something was clearly wrong. It was not until he spoke that I knew exactly what it was.

"What ever is the matter, Katherine?"

**A/N: Hope you liked the chapter! This story is going to challenge my imagination. It's going to be fun to write for the human Damon. What do you think Damon was like then? If you have any good ideas I may include them in my story so tell me what you think. **


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I just want to thank everyone for their amazing reviews and all the traffic that this story has received. It seems like a lot of people are excited about this story. The more I write for it the more I get excited as well. **

**I want to apologize in advance for any misconceptions I may have or factual evidence I get wrong about the time period. Unfortunately I don't get to go back in time and experience it myself. All I have is the Internet… and we all know the Internet is **_**always**_** right. haha**

**Hope you enjoy the new chapter!**

Chapter 3

Bonnie stood outside the circle of extinguished candles in shock. Blinking rapidly, she looked around the room. If she hadn't known better she would have thought the spell hadn't worked. The only thing that proved her wrong was the fact that Elena was nowhere to be seen.

Her fingers frantically flipped through the pages of her grimore, trying to find her error—an explanation for Elena's disappearance and time not turning back. If Bonnie was right about the spell, the present shouldn't exist anymore. At least not the present as it was now. It should be sometime in the past and Elena the only person who knew any different. That obviously wasn't the case. But something _had_ happened.

Bonnie cursed under her breath when she realized what little understanding she had on the spell she had just completed. Desperate to help her friend and possibly even a bit selfishly wishing for the same things, Bonnie had done the spell, not entirely thinking of consequences, assuming that she understood the mechanics of what she was doing. Realizing she had been wrong she delved deeper into the grimiore, hoping an answer would reveal itself.

…

Damon rose late that morning after a fitful nights sleep, his mind filled with thoughts of his conversation with Elena. He couldn't shake her comments about Stefan and what they truly meant for him. Not succeeding in clearing his mind, Damon decided to call Elena to see how she was doing. Maybe he could get her out of the house. Some fresh air would do her good.

Damon's first two calls went to voicemail. Worried he called one more time. After five long rings a voice sounded. A voice that was not Elena's.

"Hello?" Bonnie's voice shook as she spoke.

"Bonnie?" Damon asked confused. "Can I talk to Elena?"

He could hear frantic movement in the background that sounded like the flipping of the thin pages of a book. Bonnie's answer was short.

"She's not here."

Taken back, Damon's eyebrows crinkled and he frowned in confusion.

"Why doesn't she have her cell with her?" When Bonnie didn't answer right away, Damon pressed. "Bonnie, what's going on?"

He could feel the dread in the pit of his stomach as Bonnie took a shaking breath, before the truth spilled from her lips on the other end of the line.

"She's gone, Damon. I-I did a spell. It was suppose to make things better."

She was rambling without making much sense. Damon felt his grip tighten on the phone in his hand.

"Slow down. Slow down," he said, trying to keep his voice calm. "What exactly happened?"

Bonnie inhaled deeply, trying to calm herself. When she began again her voice was much steadier.

"I went to her house this morning and she told me about last night and the things she told you. She told me she wanted to take it all back, so I told her I could do it, that I could give her a chance to go back to change things for the better."

Elena's words from the previous night sounded in Damon's mind. His teeth ground together as he realized what it was that she must have done. Holding in the anger threatening to bubble over, he managed to control the fierceness in his voice.

"I'll be there in five minutes."

Without waiting for Bonnie's response he ended the call, shoving his phone in his pocket, and racing out the door.

….

I stared blankly at Damon's question. Katherine. He had called me Katherine. The confused look on his face showed that he was surprised to have been rejected so forcefully. A look of worry crossed his face.

"Katherine, is everything all right?"

"I'm not Katherine!"

I shouted it before I had thought it through. Had I not gotten so angry at being mixed up with my manipulative doppelganger, I might have observed the warning signs that something was not quite right.

Damon wasn't in his usual black attire. He was wearing a cream colored long-sleeved shirt with a turnover collar. Over that he had deep brown vest paired gray trousers.

His clothing wasn't the only thing that was different. As I looked into his face, I realized that the eyes staring back at me were different than the ones I had just seen the previous night. They still held their usual icy blue fierceness but in some way they seemed kinder, more gentle, almost as though some innocence still existed in them. An innocence untouched by death and blood.

It was then that I realized that this was not the Damon I knew. It was the Damon from years ago. The man from 1864. My heart hammered hard in my chest when I realized that something had gone horribly wrong.

Back to reality, Damon was speaking to me, sounding uncertain.

"If you are not Katherine, then who are you?"

I faltered while thinking of how to respond. To tell the truth would raise questions that I didn't know how to answer. Not knowing how much Damon knew about the supernatural world that surrounded him, I lied.

"I'm Katherine's twin sister, Elena."

The words tasted sour in my mouth. Creating even a false connection to the vampire that I hated was difficult for me to do, but I knew that until I figured out how to get out of this situation it might be the best option.

"Katherine has never made mention of any relatives," he said slowly, clearly taking in my 'odd' clothing consisting of jeans and a three-quarter length shirt.

"I wouldn't expect her to," I said, improvising on the spot. "We had a falling out a few years ago. I haven't seen her since. Circumstances have presented themselves that have made it necessary to see her."

I was relieved when he didn't inquire further. I had no idea how to continue my lie. Damon seemed to be content with my explanation and smiled kindly.

"Well Katherine is out of town for the afternoon. She is staying with my family and we would be more than willing to take you in for the time being if need be. You can wait for her return there."

Even though I didn't know how Katherine would react to seeing me, I agreed. Maybe I could avoid that obstacle for a while.

Damon led me through the cemetery, creating polite conversation on the way to the Salvatore estate. He asked about me and about my relationship with Katherine. I gave vague answers, hoping that they would satisfy his curiosity while not giving me away. Eventually we fell into a mutual silence. I could see a grand, white house in the distance before long. Out of the corner of my eye I could also see Damon eyes wandering to look at me. I could feel his stare and my face, conscious of his glances, grew red.

"Here we are," he said as we approached the house. "Katherine's servant Emily Bennet is most likely still here. I will get her to set you up a spare room while I inform my father that you will be staying with us."

At the mention of Emily I paused, sudden realization hit me. If anyone could help me it would be her. She would know how to get me back to my time.

"Is something the matter?" Damon asked, clearly registering the look on my face as something other than what it was.

"No. No. Not at all," I replied quickly. He looked at me questioningly again, but decided against prying further.

When we stepped inside the house, Damon took me straight up the stairs to a beautifully styled bedroom. It was clear that his family had money from the furnishings that littered the room. A young woman sat in an oak rocking chair near the window, reading from a massive book that I recognized instantly as the Bennet family grimore. Damon cleared his throat and the woman looked up, instantly locking eyes with me.

"Emily, this is Katherine's sister, Elena. She will be staying with us for a while. If you would be so kind to set up a place for her to stay down the hall that would be appreciated."

Damon then turned to me, taking my hand in his and kissing it gently. I flushed and he smiled.

"I will go speak to my father regarding your stay. I look forward to seeing you at supper."

With those words he left the room, leaving me alone with Emily.

The witch, obviously seeing past my lie, hurried to shut the door. Her eyes were like daggers when she turned to me.

"Who are you?" she hissed.

Deciding that she was my best chance for help, I told her the truth.

"My name is Elena Gilbert. I know this is going to be hard to believe, but I'm from the future. A descendent of yours sent me here by accident using a spell from your grimore. I need you to help me."

There was desperation in my voice, and I prayed that she would believe me.

Emily approached, scrutinizing me through squinted eyes.

"You look just like her." She reached out and took a lock of my hair in her fingers. "You said your name was Gilbert?"

I nodded my head quickly. Feeling as though I could trust her to some extent, I continued.

"I'm also a descendent of the Petrova bloodline."

Emily's eyes widened in surprise.

"Katherine's child….." she mused. "Interesting. And my descendent that you spoke of?"

"Her name is Bonnie. She cast a spell to send me back in time." I paused, debating whether or not to tell her about the circumstances surrounding the situation. I decided against it. A bad feeling overtook me when I thought about Katherine finding out about my connection to the two men she was toying with. "It went horribly wrong and now I'm here. Please... if you could help me…"

"Do you remember the spell?" Emily interrupted quickly.

I thought for a moment, trying to remember the words that Bonnie had recited in the quiet of her living room.

"Umm…witches rise. Something about skies."

Emily's eyes widened, and she grabbed the book she had just been reading through moments earlier. She flipped quickly through the pages, stopping on a page that looked very familiar. The only thing that was different was the lack of the simple note of warning that would later be sketched in pencil. Emily thrust the book into my hands.

"Is this the spell that was used?"

"Yes," I responded immediately. "Yes, this is it. Can you do it again and send me back?"

For a moment I saw a light in the darkness, a way back home. That was until I saw her shaking her head.

"This spell should have never been used. Has this descendent of mine that you speak of never been taught how to handle her magic? Time travel is extremely complicated. This spell in particular. Leaving destination to the desire of the traveler is extremely unreliable. Anything could happen. It takes great concentration from both the witch and the traveler. Even the most experienced of both are highly likely to make a mistake."

Panic flooded through me at her news.

"You're experienced enough though, right? I've heard so much about what you have done. You could do this!"

Emily shook her head again.

"There are safer ways, Ms. Gilbert. This is much too dangerous. You are lucky that this is the worse that happened. Many travelers have been unlucky enough to get stuck between time." She looked at me ominously. "I am sure I don't have to go into much detail for you to understand that is extremely unpleasant. If the desire for the time they are aiming for is wrong, a stray thought, even the wrong positioning of those involved can cause horrible results."

Disappointed, I sat down on the bed, facing away from the door, burying my face in my hands.

Emily kneeled down beside me and put a gentle hand on my knee.

"Ms. Gilbert, it will all be fine. I will not rest until I find a way to send you back to your time." A smile spread across her face, trying to comfort me. "Just promise me that when I do you will chastise this descendent of mine for using her powers so foolishly. "

I smiled back at her weakly. It was then that her smile faltered as she looked past me and over my shoulder. She stood up. Ice gripped my heart as I heard the door open from behind me, and Emily speak the name of who had just entered.

"Katherine."

**A/N: Reviews = love! Let me know how you like it and if there is anything that you would like to see done with the time period or characters in general. I have a pretty solid story line planned out, but I'm open for suggestions for filler chapters if there are things you want done! Thanks again for reading!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: So I have to apologize profusely to all of my amazing readers. I had this chapter written like 2 weeks ago, and I edited it like a a week and a half ago. For some reason I was under the impression that I posted it. I just realized that I hadn't. So please forgive me! Enjoy!**

Chapter 4

I turned quickly to find my double standing in the doorway wearing a beautiful pea green corseted dress made of heavy silk fabric, a full bottom skirting the wooden floor. Damon stood behind her, loyal as a puppy. Her face fell as she saw me.

Turning to Damon, Katherine spoke in a gentle voice, inconsistent with everything I knew about her.

"Damon darling," she purred. "Give me a little time to visit with my dear _sister."_

She spit the word 'sister' as if it were venom leaving her mouth, contradicting her earlier tone. Damon had obviously told her my lie and she had decided to go along with it until she assessed the situation herself.

"Of course, Ms. Pierce," Damon replied. He was sickeningly obedient.

Katherine leaned into him sensuously, whispering so that we could all hear.

"I will see you later tonight."

Her finger trailed from his neck down his chest, stopping provocatively just before the hem of his pants. As he smiled at her, my stomach twisted knowing the pain that her advances would cause him over a century later.

Katherine shut the door as Damon left, turning to me. Her eyes pierced through me angrily.

"So _sister_, you should explain yourself immediately if you would like to leave this room with your heart still in your chest."

When my heart sped up, Katherine smiled hungrily.

The next hour was spent in explanation. I told her the truth about the time traveling and about knowing that we were connected in some way. I purposely left out my relationship with the Salvatore brothers and herself in the future, knowing that it would be better for her to not have that knowledge.

At the end of my story, Katherine remained quiet for a few moments as if debating about whether or not to believe my story and keep me alive. After a while she rose from the windowsill where she had sat listening.

"Emily, get Elena some descent clothing to wear. Since the Salvatore's already believe she is my sister she will have to act the part and stay under their roof."

Emily nodded obediently and Katherine continued.

"Get her back to where she needs to be, Emily. I would hate to see her meet an untimely end before that can happen."

Twenty minutes later I was in a room of my own and fully dressed in the most uncomfortable thing I had ever worn. The corset Emily had put me in shrank my waist size to half what it normally was, and I struggled for breath. When I looked into the mirror, however, I was surprised by what I saw.

The powder blue dress gave me an hourglass shape, the bottom full and round with the front gathered higher to reveal a cream underskirt. The neckline was rounded and dipped low. Delicate, cream lace lined the hem and framed my chest.

Emily looked at me satisfied.

"There," she said. "Now you are presentable."

"Thank you," I stammered. "You've been so kind."

Emily smiled without responding. She went to grab her grimore and sat down on my bed, patting the sheets beside her and beckoning for me to sit as well. I did so uncomfortably, forced to sit straight-backed in the constricting dress.

"I have been thinking of this relative of mine and how worried about you she must be. I think I have a way for you to communicate with her."

She opened the book on her lap to the page Bonnie had read from earlier today and set it on my lap, handing me what looked like and antique steel pointed pen.

"If you write in the pages of this book, she will be able to read your messages. Sadly, there is no way for her to respond, but she will know that all is well with you and that we are searching for a way back."

"Thank you," I said sincerely, taken back by her unexpected kindness.

She smiled warmly at me.

"You are most welcome. I must go find Katherine. The inkwell is on the desk against the wall. Take your time. Supper is at six."

With those words she rose and left the room, leaving me alone. I made my way to the desk tucking the layers of the skirt of my dress under me as I sat. Opening the grimore, I read over the spell that landed me here. Slowly, I dipped the metal tip of my pen into the inkwell and started to write.

_Bonnie_

I smiled at the thin script that appeared on the paper. The pen felt right in my hand, and I imagined the dozens of letters that Damon probably wrote like this in his human years. It felt so romantically antique.

_Bonnie. It didn't work how we planned. I'm in 1864. Emily is going to help me back._

I stopped writing and contemplated telling Damon that I was sorry, sorry that I wasn't strong enough to stay. I knew now that it was the reason I left, not to fix things to save others, but to save myself from heartbreak.

_Tell Damon that I'm sorry that I thought things would be better without him. Tell him that I know I was wrong….and that I'm looking forward to having dinner with him and his family tonight. _

I added the last line after thinking about it for quite some time. If I knew anything about Damon, it was that he would be sick with worry about what had happened to me. Knowing that I was still safely by his side even in a different century was sure to calm his nerves the tiniest bit.

"Elena?" I jumped when his voice sounded from behind me. He chuckled leaning against the doorframe in a way that reminded me of his cockiness that I had grown to know and love. "Did I startle you?"

I closed Emily's grimore quickly and stood, suddenly growling lightheaded from my quick movement and limited amount of air in my lungs from the corset hugging tightly at my frame. Seeing my sudden uneasiness on my feet, Damon quickly approached slipping one arm around my waist and the other taking my hand. Despite his efforts to help me, his body pressed against mine while he held me made it harder to breath.

"Thank you," I said in barely a whisper.

I was glad that he couldn't hear my heartbeat because it was hammering hard against the tight fabric of my gown.

"You're very welcome," he responded, not loosening his grip on me.

I could feel the heat building between us and my knees suddenly felt weak. When he finally did let me go, he did so slowly and somewhat unwillingly. Clearing his throat awkwardly, he spoke.

"Supper is ready and everyone is downstairs waiting. We should join them."

"Oh, of course."

He turned to leave the room leading me down the stairs and into the expansive dinning room.

I took a deep breath as I entered the room, realizing that I was actually going to meet Giuseppe Salvatore.

…..

Supper was over and the Salvatore's cook was bringing out an assortment of pies. Giuseppe Salvatore laughed heartily from across the table. He had grown fond of me since the beginning of supper and was enjoying tales of Katherine and I's supposed childhood.

"What delightful women the two of you are. I would have never imagined the two tricksters that you describe. What did your sister do when you cut off her braid?"

I smiled warmly at Giuseppe and his apparent pleasure from the story I had just pulled out of the air when he asked about our childhood together. Katherine did not look so pleased. She cut into the boysenberry pie with a force that no one saw as they listened to my fictitious story.

"She ran to mother crying, holding her missing locks in her hand, begging her to sew her braid back in. Mother had to explain that she couldn't mend her hair as she had mended her petticoat the week before."

Giuseppe burst into peals of laughter once again.

"Ms. Katherine, why did you not tell us of this story before? You're sister is such a delight."

"Isn't she?" Katherine replied acidly.

Guiseppe did not hear the bitterness in her voice, as he asked for another glass of wine from the servant standing behind me. Damon did, however, as he looked at the two of us. Clearly wanting to keep Katherine from growing angrier with me, he spoke, shifting everyone's attention from the two 'sisters' to himself.

"That reminds me of when Stefan and I were young. Stefan had swallowed a watermelon seed, and I had him convinced that it would start to grow in his tiny stomach."

"Oh, yes," his father interjected. "He came to my study crying, asking me if his skin would burst off when it grew too large. Isn't that right, Stefan."

I glanced at Stefan who was obviously not paying attention, too sickeningly entranced with the woman sitting across from him, as he had been for the majority of the evening.

Startled by the sudden mention of his name, he smiled at his father, successfully convincing him that he had been paying attention the entire time.

"Yes, father," he agreed blindly, picking slowly at the piece of pie in front of him.

I looked away quickly, choosing to avoid any contact with him as I had been throughout the entire meal. It made me sick to see him pining over Katherine all night, and I didn't want to be reminded of the monster that he would become within a years time and then again over a hundred years later.

As I quickly averted my eyes from Stefan, I caught Damon's eyes from the other side of the table. Surprisingly, he didn't drop his stare when our eyes locked. I could feel my face growing red, and I looked down to my half-eaten dessert.

Giuseppe yawned from across the table.

"What a delicious dinner," he said almost to himself. He took the cloth napkin from his lap and laid it on the table. "It was wonderful getting to know you Elena, and we are happy to have you staying with us. Unfortunately, I must retire for the night, but I look forward to enjoying your company for as long as you would like to stay."

I stood as he did and curtsied. Katherine fumed from beside me.

"It has been a pleasure, Mr. Salvatore."

**A/N: Hope you liked it and that you aren't too made at me for the wait. Please be kind and review! **


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Thank you for all your kind reviews once again! Hope you enjoy the new chapter! Make sure to check out the A/N at the end of the chapter. I have a request of all my amazing readers! Thanks!**

Chapter Five

Bonnie opened the door before Damon could even knock. Her eyes were laced red and there were tears in her eyes.

"Damon, I'm so sorry," she started.

He cut her off.

"Show me," he said. "Show me the spell that you cast."

Bonnie led Damon straight into the living room where papers and books were scattered on the floor. She had obviously been frantically searching since Elena has disappeared.

"How long has she been missing?" Damon asked as Bonnie flipped though the pages of her grimore.

"Since this morning," she responded. "I've looked and looked a for a way to—"

Bonnie's voice cut short and a breath hitched in her throat.

"What's wrong?" Damon almost shouted as Bonnie backed up to sit on the couch, her legs growing weak almost as soon as she looked on the page.

Damon rushed towards her and grabbed the book from her hands, staring dumbly down at the antiqued page with Elena's thin script written neatly beside the spell. The writing wasn't new. It was worn and dull as though it had been written at least a century ago.

_Bonnie. It didn't work how we planned. I'm in 1864. Emily is going to help me back. Tell Damon that I'm sorry that I thought things would be better without him. Tell him that I know I was wrong…and that I'm looking forward to having dinner with him and his family._

Damon's head spun and he almost dropped the book as he hurried to take a seat beside Bonnie.

"How did this happen?" he asked breathlessly.

"I don't know," Bonnie cried. "She was supposed to think about where she wanted to go. She must have done it wrong."

Bonnie continued rambling on about all the things she had been thinking to herself before Damon arrived, but Damon wasn't listening. He read one line over and over again.

Tell him that I know I was wrong… and that I'm looking forward to having dinner with him and his family tonight.

Comfort came to him as he thought that even if Elena was not here with him now, she was with him in the past. Emily would find a way to get her back. He believed that with all his heart.

It was with his second reading of the whole note that Damon felt his stomach turn uneasily. She had said she was in 1864. Of all the years to be sent to in Damon's human years this was not the one that was ideal. It had been a volatile year to say the least. His love affair with Katherine had been at its peak and his relationship with Stefan had become uneasy. Besides those things, the town was in an uproar over the existence of vampires. People were being accused right and left. It had also been the year he died.

Damon put his face in his hands and prayed that Emily got Elena back to him sooner rather than later.

…

Dinner had ended soon after Mr. Salvatore had left the table, and the rest of those present prepared to go their separate ways. I watched with anger boiling in the pit of my stomach as Katherine approached Damon, clearly inviting him to her room once everyone had retired for the night. From across the room, Stefan had discovered this as well and his green eyes burned with jealousy, not knowing that he was the favored brother.

Pulling my eyes from the tragedy playing out before my eyes, I raced upstairs to the room that I now called my own. Once there I grabbed the grimore and flipped through its pages absently, knowing that I wouldn't find a response to my earlier message, but looking all the same. As foolish disappointment washed over me, a light knock came from the door.

"Ms. Pierce?" came Emily's inquiry from the hall.

Despite the need to keep up the façade of my relation with Katherine, I silently despised being addressed in such a way. I suppressed the desire to correct the name and invited her in, knowing that it was important for no one to overhear Emily mentioning the name Gilbert.

Emily entered and looked quickly from myself to the spell book in my hands.

"Ms. P—Elena," she said, almost reading my mind. "I've come to assist you in undressing."

It was then that I was reminded of the constricting dress imprisoning me.

"Oh, yeah," I muttered, standing quickly and approaching the mirror near the wardrobe. Emily removed the outer dress and her nimble fingers went to work on the strings of my corset.

"Do you think Bonnie has seen what I wrote yet?"

The question was out of my mouth before I knew it. The need to talk openly with someone about what was happening propelling it. Emily was silent for a few seconds before she spoke.

"If Bonnie is reacting as I myself would react, she is pouring over that grimore night and day trying to get her dear friend back. I'm sure she is aware of your safely."

As Emily stopped speaking, I felt the constriction on my ribs and lungs lessen, and I took my first deep breath since before dinner. I turned and she handed me a plain cotton nightgown and a beautiful silk housecoat. She smiled kindly as she spoke again.

"Please don't worry about your friend, Elena. If she is truly a Bennet witch, she will be fine. We just need to worry about getting you back to her."

I thanked Emily for her kind words as she left and pulled the nightclothes she had given me on before collapsing onto the bed.

As I lay there for the next hour, I tossed and turned against the thoughts flooding my mind. I could not escape the guilt of leaving Bonnie and Damon so selfishly. This feeling had magnified upon seeing Damon again at dinner and continued to grow now.

Determining that sleep was not coming and not wanting to continue to be attacked by my thoughts in the emptiness of the room, I slipped quietly from my bed and pulled the silk housecoat around me. Not wanting to wake the others in the house, I tiptoed through the hall and down the stairs, stopping only once when a woman's taunting giggle sounded from behind one of the doors…

When I finally stepped outside, the cool night air felt like a welcome friend clearing my mind of troubling thoughts. There was a light breeze from the east and the grass felt crisp under my bare feet, as I slowly explored the surrounding property.

Not far from the back of the house stood a large oak tree with a handmade swing hanging from its branches. Excited about my discovery, I wiggled my way onto the seat and steadied myself before slowly starting to pump my legs back and forth. The swing slowly started to move with my efforts and gained more and more height over time. I closed my eyes to block out my surroundings, focusing only on the rise and fall of the swing and the breeze rushing over my face and through my hair. Being completely absorbed in the feeling of freedom that the swing allowed me, the voice that sounded my name beside me caused me to squeal in fright.

Opening my eyes, I found Damon leaning against the oak's massive trunk. I put my hand over my racing heart and slowly brought the swing to a stop as Damon chuckled quietly. I shot him a dirty look, and he put on an apologetic face.

"I apologize, Elena. I did not mean to startle you. I saw you from the window and wanted to be sure you were all right."

Remembering the incident earlier in my room, I flushed as I answered him.

"I couldn't get to sleep. Too many thoughts in my head. Is that why you're still up as well?"

Damon was silent then with a look of concentration on his face, as if asking himself the same question.

"I suppose you could say that."

He sat down at the base of the tree for a few minutes, lost in his own thoughts. I watched a lone cloud passing over a cluster of stars from my seat on the swing.

"You aren't Katherine's sister are you," he asked suddenly.

My eyes widened in the darkness at his question and my mind scrambled to find a way to convince him otherwise.

"Of course I am! What would make you think that I'm not? I—"

Damon interrupted my lies, sounding slightly hurt.

"I'm not as foolish as you think I am, Elena."

I stopped trying to deceive him then. He deserved to know the truth. Sliding from my position on the swing, I took a seat beside him against the hard bark of the oak.

"I don't think you're 'foolish'," I said quietly before asking: "How did you know?"

Damon smiled at me.

"You really aren't as convincing as you think you are," he laughed. "Katherine was much too startled at the mention of a sister and ever since you arrived I could see that she despises you. I can see it in her eyes. It's like she can't fully understand you and it clearly infuriates her."

"Maybe you just don't comprehend what hateful sisters we are." I countered playing devils advocate.

"I think not," he said smiling. "Besides, if you were truly her sibling you would be centuries old. You are young, innocent, alive." Damon paused there and put his hand on the side of my face, cradling it in his palm. "You're as human as I am."

His last words came out in barely a whisper and he took his hand from my face and placed it on my chest, smiling at the thudding of my heart.

We sat in silence like this for a few moments before I found the courage to speak.

"If you have me all figured out, Mr. Salvatore, why haven't you turned me out of your home," I asked, only half jokingly. "I'm obviously not who you think I am."

He seemed to consider this thoughtfully.

"I suppose it is because you interest me," he replied after a few seconds. "You're odd, like you don't belong here"

This was definitely not the type of interest that I was hoping for.

"Odd?" I said sounding playfully offended and pushing him away gently. "You spend your time with a vampire, and I'm the one that's odd?"

"Well, yes." His voice was serious despite my joking, and I listened as he explained himself. "You're different than anyone I have ever met. You walk through this world as though you had never seen anything like it. Like your entranced with everything that surrounds you."

I didn't counter his statement because I knew that what he had said was true. Everything from the magnitude of his home to the small steel pointed pen had entranced me from the moment I had arrived. It was all so different from the world that I know that I wanted to drink it all in.

As I thought about his words, his voice sounded again.

"Elena, who are you?"

The moment had come and I hesitated. To tell him could mean disaster. If Katherine found out the whole truth behind who I was, her anger could cause horrendous consequences. Despite this, I couldn't help but want to tell him. To be able to entrust the truth of it all to the man whose friendship had come to mean so much to me would be a Godsend at the moment. For this reason, I decided to take the plunge.

"Damon, if I tell you the truth you have to promise that you won't tell a soul. Katherine, can _never_ know about this." I stressed this last point, a bit of desperation in my voice.

"I promise," Damon responded.

I took a deep breath before continuing.

"I seem odd to you, Damon, because I don't belong here."

A look of confusion appeared in his ice blue eyes.

"However crazy it sounds, I'm from the future. My friend Bonnie, Emily's descendent, did a spell that accidently sent me here." I spoke fast and all at once and my voice cracked with sudden emotion. "I thought of you instead of where I wanted to go and—"

It was then that I realized that I was rambling and saying things I shouldn't. Damon stared intently at me.

"You were thinking of me? How is that possible? How—"

Knowing it was too late to take it back, I answered him honestly.

"Because I know you then," I blurted out.

"When do you know me?"

His question sounded odd, but I knew what he meant.

"2011."

Damon rose to his feet in surprise and started to pace back and forth. The gentle words he had exchanged with me moments before were forgotten.

"You know me over a hundred years from now?" He almost shouted the question.

"Yes, I—we're friends," I said.

I really wished he would stop pacing. I wanted him to sit, to ask me about our friendship, about us. Reaching up and taking his hand, I tried to pull him back down, but he shook me off.

"I'm a vampire in your time? Has Katherine turned me?"

His voice betrayed his desire for Katherine and the life she could give him, and it was like a sudden slap in the face. I knew I shouldn't feel this way. I doubted that I could change history especially after being here only a day. This Damon barely knew me.

"Damon, you can't tell her that you know about this," I said rising to my feet. "Please just promise me you won't tell her that you know."

That remark was enough to confirm his suspicions and he smiled like a child who knows he is getting a long coveted toy.

"And Stefan?" he asked.

"Yes, Stefan as well," I sighed.

Damon's face fell slightly at this news.

"Listen, Damon it isn't as great as you think it is. You're going to hate what you become."

Damon laughed in unbelief.

"Hate it? This is what I have been asking Katherine about for months."

"You don't want this Damon!" I yelled in desperation. He had to understand.

He spun towards me quickly, frustration lacing his features.

"Are you sure we were friends in your time, Elena, because you seem to know nothing about what I want."

I could not respond to his jab. I was at a loss for words. I could feel the hot tears streaming down my face. Damon looked at my fresh tears, but didn't stay to comfort me. He turned away from me, walking quickly back towards the house. It was then that I understood the true corruption that Katherine had brought to the Salvatore brothers' lives.

**A/N: thanks for reading! Sorry it was a bit drama filled at the end. More delena is coming I promise. **

**I have a request from my amazing readers now. I need your favorite Delena moments. I have three rules for these moments (yes I know I demand and demand and then I'm bossy about it.)1. These moments need to be a HAPPY moments between Damon and Elena. Ones that both Damon and Elena would find happy. 2. They have to be moments that Elena remembers. Therefore your Delena moment CANNOT be when Damon admits to loving Elena and then compels her to forget. 3. Your moments cannot be any moment when Damon is dying from the werewolf bite. **

**I know, I know. That eliminates a lot of good moments, but I'm sure you have liked others over the past 2 seasons. Please, please, please submit your moments. The most mentioned one (or my favorite one lol) will be incorporated in my story. **

**Thanks!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I just want to say that you guys are the best readers ever! Lol This story is quickly becoming my favorite of the three I'm writing. Must be all your wonderful reviews. I was really glad to see that so many people enjoyed the note written by Elena and how Damon and Bonnie (mostly Damon lol) responded. There will be more of those as the story progresses. **

**Also, the last scene of this chapter I totally "borrowed" from season one. I wanted to incorporate what was going on in the time Elena is supposed to be there and add Damon's thoughts on the subject now that Elena is in his life. All actual dialogue in that part is from the show…. Thoughts are my own creation though! **

**Another quick note before you read the chapter…. I LOVE your favorite Delena moments! I applogize in advance for not being able to use them all. Believe me, I want to (: This is your last chapter to send them to me, so if you haven't done so already pls do! I will remind you at the end of the chapter!**

**Enjoy!**

Chapter 6

The next morning Damon awoke with the heavy feeling of guilt in the pit of his stomach. The night before had gone nothing like he had planned. He had spent the earlier part of the night with Katherine as he had come accustom to doing, but she had hurried off soon afterwards, promising a repeat the following night.

Agitated by her hurried disappearance, he left the darkness of his room into the cool night air and had been surprised to find Elena swinging from the large oak in the yard. Damon found that he much liked the second Miss Peirce. She had been very sweet early that day and the tinkling of her laugh at dinner had brought a smile to his face. It was for this reason he decided to approach her and spend a few quite moments with her.

Although he had known that Elena was hiding something from him and the rest of his family, Damon had not expected to discover that she knew so much about him and what he would become. The news had hit him with such surprise that he had hardly any control over his response. He had been trying to speak to Katherine about his desire for this new life, but she kept putting it off. Saying that someday when he was ready she would give it to him. Finding out that it was indeed going to happen had sent him reeling with excitement. It was for this reason that Elena's warning had come as such a blow. Despite his harsh words to her, Damon had not meant to hurt her, yet the tears on Elena's cheeks as he left her standing on the lawn were proof that he did.

It was because of this that the guilt was now making him feel sick to his stomach as he rose from bed this morning. He knew that he needed to immediately apologize and planned to do just that when breakfast was served. However, when Damon arrived downstairs Elena was nowhere to be seen. Expecting her to arrive at some point during the course of the meal, he was thoroughly disappointed when she did not.

After finishing his share of food, Damon quickly climbed the staircase to the second floor and hurried down the hallway to her room. The door to Elena's room was shut. After debating what he should do, Damon rapped his knuckles on the door lightly once and when there was no response a second time, softly calling her name.

When the door opened, Damon was disappointed to find that it was not Elena exiting the room, but Emily Bennet.

"Emily," he said quickly. "I need to speak with Elena."

"She does not wish to see you, Mr. Salvatore. She just asks that you keep what she has told you between the two of you," Emily replied. She looked at him seriously, giving him warning with both the glare of her eyes and the tone of her voice. "If Ms. Pierce finds out that Elena knows you in the future, it could turn out very badly for her. I'm sure you understand."

Damon's eyes fell to the ground as Emily walked away briskly. He felt like a complete ass. Emily obviously agreed judging from the way she had spoken to him just now. Knowing that he had to do something to show he was sorry, Damon left the house and headed to the garden on the east side of the property. It had been his mother's pride and joy when she was alive, and his father had the servants keep up on it in her memory. Damon picked a few of his mother's favorite—oriental lilies—and returned to the house, placing the flowers gingerly in front of Elena's door.

Hoping that she would take them as a sign of his apology when she saw them, Damon headed down the stairs and was just about to leave the house for a walk when he ran into Katherine.

"Damon, there you are," she said almost excitedly. "I was just looking for you. I have a surprise for you tonight. Will you meet me at the end of the lane leading up to your house at sunset?"

Damon was taken back for a moment before he could answer. A surprise? Katherine usually didn't give things willingly. She more often took what she wanted not taking others into consideration.

"Don't look so surprised," Katherine teased. "I want to give you a glimpse of what you've been asking me for."

Damon's heart leapt at her mention of this. It was the first time that she had taken the initiative in speaking of it.

"The end of the lane at sunset?" he reiterated, trying to calm his excitement.

"Exactly," she answered with a seductive smile, leaving Damon to dwell on what she could have planned.

…

When Emily left the room, I could hear her confronting Damon in the hallway. I didn't want to hear what she was saying to him or what he was responding with. She had been so kind to speak with him when I couldn't allow myself to do it.

I had told Emily what had happened the night before, using her in place of Bonnie who I would have told everything to had I been home. She listened intently as I vented my worries and frustrations about what Damon wanted and what he would someday become.

"Can I change that?" I had asked. "Do you think I can convince him to get away from here, run before Katherine can ruin his life? Can I change history?"

When I asked the question, Emily thought for a long moment before she responded.

"If you can write to Bonnie and change the pages of my grimore, I am sure you can alter other things as well. The question you need to ask yourself is if it is worth it. You can't assume you know how a difference in the past will affect the future, Elena. How do you know Damon would be better off a human and dead before your time than he would be as you know him. You say that he has become a new man, a kind man. Do you want to change that?"

"No," I replied, the answer feeling more like a question. "But Katherine is going to hurt him, Emily. Even when I left, the scars that he carries from the event about to happen still shape him."

"From what you have told me, though, he cares a great deal about you. Would it be fair for you to change his life so that he never gets that chance to truly know you?"

That is when Damon's knock came at the door and then my name pleadingly on his lips.

"I will leave you to your thoughts, Miss Gilbert. Let me speak with Damon."

With those words, Emily left the room and I sat on my bed, overwhelmed once again with the thoughts that flooded my brain. Why couldn't my life be simple?

The voices in the hallway had been gone for a while when I went to the door, opening it slightly and peaking out to see if everyone had gone. Looking down before closing the door again, a shimmer of orange caught my eye in the sunlight streaming from the window in the hall. It was a lily, freshly picked. I bent to pick it up, bringing it gently to my nose and inhaling its sweet fragrance. I smiled as I thought of Damon, apologetically placing it on the ground by my door.

As I entered my room again, I grabbed for the grimore and opened its pages, touching the fresh ink of my last note. Picking up my pen, I wrote again. This time addressing my words to Damon.

…..

"Please," Katherine cried, running to the approaching carriage. "Please help us. My husband, he's been hurt. Please help him."

The carriage driver jumped from his seat and hurried to Damon who was lying still on the ground, while the passenger stayed to console Katherine.

"What do you think you're doing out here in the middle of the night?" he asked concern lacing his words. "It's not safe."

"No sir, it's not safe," Katherine responded, the veins around her eyes darkening and her teeth extending.

She pounced on the man then with her fangs bared, driving them deeply into his throat. The man screamed in pain as she feed.

Meanwhile, the driver bent close over Damon, leaning his head down to listen for breath. When he looked up again, Katherine was before him, having already finished off the first man. Without hesitation she sprung at him as well, feeding deeply until he fell limply to the ground.

Once both men were dead and her appetite satisfied, she turned to the Damon who was rising from the ground.

"And that's how it's done," she told him as he pulled himself to his feet.

Damon looked from one dead man to the other as he brushed himself off. He felt his stomach turn at ending of their lives.

"What happens to the bodies," he inquired hesitantly.

"We'll take them to the woods and the other animals will finish them off."

Damon noticed how she said 'other' animals, thinking for a split second that that's exactly what this was, an act of animal savagery.

Repulsion flashed in his eyes as he looked up quickly from the bodies to Katherine's lovely face. A face that was now messy with blood. Elena's words from earlier morning rang in his ears.

_Damon, it isn't as great as you think it is. You're going to hate what you become. _

Is this what he would become? An animal that fed on the blood of others. Had Elena's voice not been haunting his thoughts, he may have enjoyed this more. Taken it as a time to bond with Katherine, to appreciate what he was to become, but that wasn't the case now.

Katherine interrupted his thoughts, clearly seeing the uncertainty in his eyes.

"Are you sure you're ready for this?" she asked.

Damon nodded hesitantly and he smiled reassuringly.

"I'm ready," he said. "I want you to turn me."

At his words, Katherine grew serious.

"When it's time," she promised.

Approaching him slowly with need in her voice she continued.

"Kiss me," she demanded.

Damon fumbled in his lapel pocket, reaching for his handkerchief to wipe away the blood that covered Katherine's lips. She pushed his hand away.

"You should get a taste," she said leaning in to him.

Damon hesitated a moment, pulling away from the crimson blood that days ago he would have not shrunk from.

"Sorry," he whispered when Katherine saw his hesitation.

"Don't be," she comforted. "Soon you won't be able to get enough."

Damon looked from Katherine's eyes, down to her lips covered in the slick liquid. His mind was conflicted. He had wanted this more than anything else the day before—Katherine, her life, he had wanted it all. Now he wasn't sure. What was he to make of Elena's warning? Elena and her kind words, her gentle manner. She was nothing like the woman that stood before him.

Damon realized that his mind was wondering. How could he seriously be thinking these thing? He had only met Elena today, yet he felt as though he was meant to know her. Anger flooded him because of the confusion she had brought into this. Tonight was supposed to mean everything to him, if it wasn't for her. Determined to push Elena to the far recesses of his mind, Damon looked at Katherine resolutely and pulled her to his lips, tasting both the familiar sweetness of her lips and a new darker taste that he would grow to love.

**A/N: So what do you think? Tell me! Writing this chapter made me sad for Damon again…. But I'm always sad for him lol.**

**Just a reminder….. I need your favorite Delena moments with your comment if you haven't already. The one (or two….depending) that I choose will be incorporated in next weeks chapter! For rules and guidelines on what you can choose (yes there are rules) please look at the A/N from last chapter. **

**See you guys next week for a new chapter!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I know… I know… You are all gasping in amazement as you see me rise from the grave and return to the world of fanfiction. All I can say is that I am truly sorry. School has gotten extremely busy and I have hardly had time for myself lately. Plus my muse decided to run off with all the stress. I put posters all over town, but no one seemed to know where he was. Then this little thing called Vampire Diaries season 3 came onto my television and my muse came bounding back home, scratching on the door. As you probably can guess, it is good to have him back.**

**Before I went on hiatus, I asked you guys to give me your favorite Delena moment for me to include in this chapter. I am happy to say that the two highest mentioned moments were two of mine as well. The top Delena moment is in this chapter and there will be some mention of the other in a future chapter. Thank you all for voting! It was so much fun to see what you all had to say. **

**Just as a reminder. Elena and Damon have just had a fight. Elena has shut herself in her room, not wanting to speak with him. Damon leaves a beautiful lily at her bedroom door in apology and is then asked to join Katherine for a little "surprise." I have included the last few paragraphs of last chapter here because I fear that absence you all may have forgotten. Enjoy!**

…..

"_You should get a taste," she said leaning in to him. _

_Damon hesitated a moment, pulling away from the crimson blood that days ago he would have not shrunk from._

"_Sorry," he whispered when Katherine saw his hesitation._

"_Don't be," she comforted. "Soon you won't be able to get enough."_

_Damon looked from Katherine's eyes, down to her lips covered in the slick liquid. His mind was conflicted. He had wanted this more than anything else the day before—Katherine, her life, he had wanted it all. Now he wasn't sure. What was he to make of Elena's warning? Elena and her kind words, her gentle manner. She was nothing like the woman that stood before him. _

_Damon realized that his mind was wondering. How could he seriously be thinking these thing? He had only met Elena today, yet he felt as though he was meant to know her. Anger flooded him because of the confusion she had brought into this. Tonight was supposed to mean everything to him, if it wasn't for her. Determined to push Elena to the far recesses of his mind, Damon looked at Katherine resolutely and pulled her to his lips, tasting both the familiar sweetness of her lips and a new darker taste that he would grow to love._

….

**Chapter Seven**

Damon slept fitfully with Bonnie's Grimore by his side. After discovering Elena's note the day before he had become obsessed with the book. It was a way to hear from Elena. Sure he couldn't respond to her as he would like to, but at least he knew if she was writing in it nothing had happened to her, that she was still safe.

It had taken a bit of work on his part to convince the witch to let him have it. She was of course on vervain, so he couldn't compel her to give it up. After making her feel even more guilty for what had happened and promising her that he would both continue to look for answers in it and tell her if Elena wrote anything else, she left him take it home. She meanwhile, had plenty of other papers and texts to look through.

Damon had looked though the grimiore every five seconds the previous night, hoping for more words from Elena. His mind pored over what could be happening at that moment in time and why had no recollection of the things Elena must be changing in the past. She had written that she had eaten dinner with him just a few nights before but his memories of the time had not changed. Damon had asked Bonnie about it several times, but she just responded with a sad shake of the head and apologizes as she admitted to know less and less about what she had caused.

Despite all of these thoughts, Damon had fallen asleep finally with the grimore laying open beside him in bed when he couldn't keep his eyes open any longer.

When he woke up it was already late morning. Sleep clouded his eyes as he glanced at the alarm clock beside his bed. 11:30. Realizing how late it was already he frantically looked around him trying to find the grimore, hoping Elena had sent a message in the night. When he found it twisted in the white sheets of his bed, his heart fell when there was no new writing. He was about to close the book when something appeared on its pages.

Elena's elegant script surfaced on the page letter by letter as he looked on. Holding his breath, Damon realized that at this moment somewhere in time Elena was writing this and in a strange way it made him feel close to her.

_Damon, I don't know why I find it so surprising, but we fought yesterday. We do that so often anyway that I don't know why it hurt me so badly. You knew I was lying about who I really was so I told you the truth. I wanted to warn you about what you would become. I thought I could make a difference. Instead, you couldn't wait for Katherine to change you. I was so angry. You love her so much here, and it upset me. _

Elena's words stopped for a moment, the last period darkening from some unseen pen tip resting there.

_I can't stay angry with you even here, though, Damon. I never can. You brought me a lily and laid it at my door… I miss you._

The words stopped again and Damon waited impatiently for them to continue, but they didn't.

"Elena," he shouted at the grimore, holding it tightly in his hands. "Elena, don't stop writing."

He pleaded with the book though he knew it would do no good. In a fit of rage, he threw the grimore across the room and buried his face his hands, screaming her name.

…..

"Elena," came my name in the darkness. My shoulder was shaking, and I realized I was in bed as I had been almost all the preceding day. I opened my eyes and was surprised to see Damon sitting at my side, another lily, this time red, in his hand.

"Good morning," he chimed entirely to eagerly for this early in the morning. It was still dark outside with just the faint silver of the eventual sunrise in the sky.

I groaned in response to his greeting.

"What time is it," I said squinting up at him.

"Just past five," he responded. "I came to express my apologies for the other night. I had no right to say the things that I did. You were just trying to be a good friend."

"Isn't it a bit early for apologies, " I said expressing indifference. Despite my response, I was silently grateful for his words.

He smiled, obviously taking my words as an agreed forgiveness.

"Get dressed," he commanded suddenly. "I have a surprise."

"A surprise? Are you serious? Damon, it's five in the morning!"

A mischievous look overcame him then and he grinned standing and turning for the door.

"You have ten minutes."

…..

Despite Damon's command to dress in ten minutes I found it impossible. Scurrying to the wardrobe, I realized that there was nothing that Emily had given me that could possibly be put on that quivkly, let alone by myself.

I took a simple cream dress out and slipped it on as best I could and then made my way to my bedroom door and peeked outside. Damon was waiting patiently just outside.

"Damon," I whispered into the dark hallway. "I need your help."

He turned to see me holding my dress up and chuckled. Damon followed me back into the room to the mirror and started pulling tightly on the strings of my corset as I held the bosom of the dress snuggly to my chest.

He worked silently for a few minutes and I gasped as the corset tightened around my small frame.

"I don't think I'll ever get use to this," I said breathlessly.

"Judging from the clothing you arrived it, I would say the fashions have changed over the years?" he said jokingly.

"You could say that."

By this time, Damon had laced my corset completely and was fastening the back of my dress that I held against me. Once this was done he stood looking at me in the mirror not saying a word, his hands on my tiny waist. I looked on at his reflection, until I shyly dropped my gaze to his hands.

"We should get going, we need to get there before the sun rises," he muttered dropping his gaze as well.

"Get where?"

"You'll see."

Damon took my hand and led me out into the hallway, quietly tiptoeing past the other bedroom doors and down the great staircase. Once out of the house, Damon led me through the back lawn, past the large oak tree with the swing, and into the wooded area beyond. Despite my questions, Damon continued to pull me along through the thickening forest. After about twenty minutes of following somewhat obediently, I pleaded for answers again.

"Damon, slow down," I shouted. "Where are we going?"

The trees started to disperse as he continued pulling me forward.

"Almost there," he promised.

Damon pulled me forward a few more yards when the trees broke and the steady roar of the falls surrounded me. Although I had seen this sight dozens of times in my life, it was somehow different here in the past with Damon beside me. The forest and underbrush surrounding the waterfall were untouched by human hands. Trees stood undisturbed. The beer bottles and liter from the constant partying that I had come to know were nonexistent. It took my breath away.

"Damon," I gasped. "It's beautiful."

When I turned to him, it was not the falls that he was looking at. It was me.

"I'm so sorry for the things I said yesterday, Elena."

The sincerity in his voice hit me with an emotion I wasn't expecting.

"It's fine," I said my voice cracking.

I looked to the ground feeling uncomfortable. Damon's hand came to my chin and lifted my face to look at him in the eyes.

"No," he said firmly. "It's not. Making you cry was one of the worst things I have ever done."

I looked back at the falls and saw that the sun was just surfacing over the top of them. I could see Damon watching me as I looked on at the rising sun.

"I thought we could come here and watch the sun rise before the rest of the house woke."

"Thank you," I said turning to him.

Damon sat and beckoned me to do the same. I sat beside him in silence for a while leaning against him lightly and watching the sunrise slowly on the horizon.

"Tell me about us," he said suddenly.

His request surprised me.

"Us?" I repeated.

"Yes. You said we were friends in your time. Tell me about us."

"Hmm," I said, thinking hard about my favorite moment with Damon. He had become so important to me over the past few months that it was hard to know where to begin.

When I finally decided on what to tell him, I closed my eyes leaning further into him.

"Early on in my relationship with Stefan," I began. "I found out about Katherine and her resemblance to me. I found a picture that he had kept hidden from me—a picture that looked just like me. I felt so betrayed, like he was only in my life to make up for losing her, like he wanted me to be what she once was. When I found it, I ran.

"In the process there was an…accident," I said slowly, deciding to go into a full explaination. Now wasn't the time to explain that the world had upgraded from the horse drawn carraiges he was accostumed to. "I was hurt and about to be attacked by yet another vampire, and you saved me."

A smile spread across Damon's lips then.

"Sounds like something I would do," he said with an air of his usual arrogance. "Saving the damsel in distress."

I rolled my eyes.

"Yes, saving me from the large amounts of trouble you and your brother brought to begin with," I replied, rolling my eyes. "It's the least you could do. Thank you, you're so kind."

Damon flashed a teasing smile, which I returned with a stern glare, motioning for him to be quite so I could finish my story.

"Well after you rescued me from the horrible accident and almost certain danger," I continued, dripping with playful sarcasm. "You dragged me unwillingly down the east coast to Georgia where you preceded in getting me completely drunk."

"Me? Get you drunk?" Damon laughed. "Oh come now, Elena. I think you must be exaggerating."

"Well," I responded grudgingly. "Maybe I did most of the work in getting myself there, but you are not the best influence in the world."

Damon's body shook in laughter against mine and I rolled my eyes.

"Really that's not the best part of the story," I said. "The fact that I saved your life from another vampire who you miraculously rubbed the wrong way while still drunk was probably the best part of the trip."

"You? Save my life?" Damon asked with feigned amazement.

"Yep," I gloated. "And don't you forget it."

"Wow, Elena. I think my arrogance is starting to rub off on you," Damon teased.

"Like I said, you're not the best influence."

"Obviously," he said with a grin. "But seriously, the best part was saving my life?"

I thought this over for a moment, recalling my first actual time alone with him in perfect detail in my memory. Spending time away from my crazy life. Laughing over shots. Seeing past the wall that Damon was so good at constructing around himself. It all felt so important to me in retrospect.

"Honestly? The best part of the trip wasn't the individual moments. I think it was special to me because it was when I realized that we were really friends and that you weren't a complete ass all the time. You brought me with you because you genuinely wanted my company. Sure, we may have fought and come close to hating each other at different points after the trip, but it is always what I have thought of to get through those moments. Thinking about that time always reminds me of how much I truly care about you."

When I had stopped talking, Damon stayed silent for a moment, as if not knowing exactly how to respond to what I had just revealed. It was several minutes later when he finally cleared his throat and spoke.

"I would say I am very fortunate to be your friend, Elena," he said, pulling his arm tighter around me and resting his chin on my head. "Do you think I'm worried about you?"

Without even having to think about it I responded.

"Yes. I know you are. Before I left I was really upset. I wasn't eating or sleeping. You came over to take care of me the night before I disappeared. You were so worried."

"Why were you upset?"

"It doesn't matter now," I said. Not wanting him to inquire further about that night, I continued. "I've been writing to you so that you won't worry as much. Emily told me that I could write in her grimore and that you would be able to see it… I told you about our fight and about the lily you left at my door—"

I stopped then, not knowing how to continue as I felt tears stinging my eyes.

"Thank you," he whispered in my ear as if knowing that was exactly what I needed to hear from his future self.

**A/N: Well hope you liked it. Thank you to all of those who voted. I hope that I did the "Georgia" moment justice. Also a special thank you goes out to 123nenagirl who reminded me of Elena telling Damon "And don't you forget about it" in the car on the way back. I watched the episode over again and it made me giggle. I couldn't help but use it in my story. Haha**

**Please let me know what you thought. Reviews are appreciated, especially if you would like more regular updates. With all the school, my muse is really temperamental and your encouragement helps lol (thanks to warriorheart91 and Madamemoon for their recent comments that helped kick me into gear ;)**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Thank you for all of your awesome reviews! They mean so much to me. As promised, here is the next chapter : )**

Previously on the Vampire Diaries:

"_Honestly? The best part of the trip wasn't the individual moments. I think it was special to me because it was when I realized that we were really friends and that you weren't a complete ass all the time. You brought me with you because you genuinely wanted my company. Sure, we may have fought and come close to hating each other at different points after the trip, but it is always what I have thought of to get through those moments. Thinking about that time always reminds me of how much I truly care about you." _

_When I had stopped talking, Damon stayed silent for a moment, as if not knowing exactly how to respond to what I had just revealed. It was several minutes later when he finally cleared his throat and spoke._

"_I would say I am very fortunate to be your friend, Elena," he said, pulling his arm tighter around me and resting his chin on my head. "Do you think I'm worried about you?"_

_Without even having to think about it I responded._

"_Yes. I know you are. Before I left I was really upset. I wasn't eating or sleeping. You came over to take care of me the night before I disappeared. You were so worried."_

"_Why were you upset?"_

"_It doesn't matter now," I said. Not wanting him to inquire further about that night, I continued. "I've been writing to you so that you won't worry as much. Emily told me that I could write in her grimore and that you would be able to see it… I told you about our fight and about the lily you left at my door—"_

_I stopped then, not knowing how to continue as I felt tears stinging my eyes. _

"_Thank you," he whispered in my ear as if knowing that was exactly what I needed to hear from his future self. _

…**..**

Chapter Eight

Damon continued to hold me in his arms in silence until the morning sun was high above the top of the falls. Birds were singing in the undisturbed forest around us, and I closed my eyes, taking it all in. When Damon finally told me it was time to go, I begged him just for a few more minutes.

"Everyone will be wondering where we have gotten to," he reasoned. "Katherine included."

At the mention of Katherine's name, I groaned.

"All right," I said finally giving in. "If we have to."

Damon helped me to my feet, and I brushed the dirt from my dress. Taking my hand in his, Damon led me back into the dense forest, but then turned into large wheat field only moments later.

"Damon, where are we going?" I asked. "We didn't come this way."

"It's a short cut," he promised. "It's our neighbors field, he won't mind."

As we walked though the field, I let go of Damon's hand and grazed my fingers over the tops of the plants, feeling their soft tickle on my palms. Ahead of me, Damon stopped and watched, as I grew enthralled by their touch.

"Could you be any slower?" he asked playfully.

I purposely slowed me stride to show him that I could.

"You should try hurrying when you can't breath in the clothes your wearing. What I wouldn't do for a pair of jeans right now!"

"Does jeans mean less clothes?" he asked, his question bordering on the innuendo I had come to expect from Damon in my time.

I smiled at this small reminder of vampire Damon and responded in the affirmative.

"Yes," I said with a laugh. "Girls in my century wear much less clothing than this."

He raised his eyebrows as if enticed by this though and reached out to grab my hand again. I pulled my hand away from his, tempting him to reach for me again. When he did I back peddled away and then circled him laughing as I played keep-away. Alone here with Damon I felt so alive. I didn't want to go back to the house where Katherine would be watching my every move.

"Elena, we have to get back now," he said sternly, although he couldn't keep a straight face. He laughed as I taunted him to come after me.

"I don't want to go back," I said. "You'll have to make me."

With those words, I took off through the field, lifting the skirt of my dress and feeling the heads of the wheat plants brush against the skin of my hands and legs.

Damon laughed from behind me and started the chase. Evenly matched, I kept my lead from him for quite a while. It was when I tired from my exertion that I finally started to slow down and he caught up with me, wrapping his arms around my waist and sending me toppling to the ground.

Our laughter rang through the air as we both lay on the ground, exhausted from our game of chase. Staring up at the sky through the tall blades of the wheat, our breath gradually slowed to normal and I rolled to my side to look into his eyes.

"You were right, Damon."

Damon's eyebrows crinkled in confusion.

"Right about what?"

"A few weeks before all this happened you told me that you wished I had know you in 1864, that I would have liked you then."

"And do you?" he asked.

I smiled mischievously.

"You could say that," I responded.

Damon grew quiet for a moment as if thinking something over before speaking again.

"Why did I tell you that, Elena? I thought you said that we were friends in your time. Why would you have to know me now to like me?"

"It's complicated," I warned.

"I think all of this is beyond complicated."

He was right. He knew the truth this far he might as well know it all.

"I do like you in my time, Damon, but like I told you before at the falls, I'm in a relationship with Stefan."

An undecipherable look passed over Damon's face at this comment. It may have been hurt, but it was gone to soon to tell. He had not responded when I had mentioned this in passing earlier in the morning. From his look he may have misunderstood what exactly "relationship" entailed. Instead of getting angry like I had expected he responded with a simple question.

"And how do I feel about that?"

"You hate it," I said quickly. "You wish that things were different."

Damon was listening intently to every word I said. Taking a deep breath I went on, my voice starting to shake and the beginnings of tears stinging my eyes.

"You told me that you loved me."

My breath caught in my throat and a half strangled sob escaped me. I turned away from Damon then, sitting up and wiping away the sudden tears.

I felt Damon's arms wrap themselves around me and heard his voice in my ear.

"And?" he asked patiently.

"And I couldn't say the things that I wanted to say. It was all too much. You were dying. I had just escaped death myself. Stefan was off sacrificing himself."

I was almost shouting then, talking about things he had no recollection of. He didn't ask me to explain, he just held me as I cried about things he didn't understand.

"What were the things you couldn't say," he almost whispered, the volume of his voice contrasting with mine.

"Damon—" I said in protest, bringing my voice down to a softer level and turning towards him on my knees.

"What were the things you couldn't say," he repeated.

My walls came crashing down then like a flood sweeping everything away. It felt right to tell him. I needed to tell him.

"That I wanted to love you, too. That I had been fighting it with every fiber of my being because I didn't want to be like her, like Katherine."

Those words sent me over the edge. I would do anything to not be like that woman, but, with every move I made, it seemed as it was inevitable. I was meant to love them both and I knew that one of them would be deeply hurt in the end.

Damon took my hands and pulled them away from my face, revealing my tear streaked cheeks.

"You are _nothing_ like Katherine," Damon said, stressing each word.

"But—"

He put his finger to my lips stopping me before I could continue. His other hand went to the nape of my neck, pulling me closer to him. The finger on my lips slipped down my jaw and his hand cradled my chin.

"No buts," Damon whispered, his lips so close to me that I could feel his breathe on mine.

As his words ceased, the space between us disappeared and he kissed me lightly, almost as if he was asking permission. I opened my lips the tiniest bit giving him the consent he longed for. His kiss became hungry then, and I twisted my fingers into his hair as he gradually pushed me back onto the soft ground. A soft moan escaped my mouth and I arched my body into his as he pushed himself against me.

My mind was racing as it all happened. I had fought consenting to this for so long that even now my brain was telling me to stop, but I didn't want to. I wanted this kiss to go on forever. When it didn't and he pulled away from me, I reached out for him again.

"Damon?"

He looked towards the house and then up at the sky, judging the time from the sun's position in it. It was then when I too realized that we had been gone much to long. The sun stood almost directly above us. It had to be almost noon already. Our absence would have been noticed by now.

Damon leaned back down for another deep kiss and reluctantly pulled away.

"We have to go," he groaned, hesitantly getting to his feet and pulling me up as well.

The rest of the walk home, we shared in a mutual silence. Damon held my hand, our fingers laced together. When the house appeared in the distance we quickened our pace, anxiously hoping that Katherine wouldn't see us arriving together. Luckily the first person to see us was Emily who was sweeping dirt from the veranda that wrapped around to the back of the house. Seeing our arrival she raced to meet us, a look of worry on her face.

"Elena, where have you been," she almost hissed.

I started stuttering out an answer when she interrupted me.

"It doesn't matter," she said taking my hand and looking accusingly at Damon. "We have to get you up to your room before Katherine sees you. I convinced her that you fell ill this morning and couldn't leave your bed when you didn't appear for breakfast. Mr. Salvatore, you will have to think of your own excuse as to your absence this morning."

Without even getting to say goodbye to Damon, Emily whisked me off and into the house, only slowing to catch her breath when we had closed my bedroom door behind us.

…..

As Emily was quickly undoing the laces of Elena's corset, instructing her to act ill the rest of the day, Katherine walked through the front door of the Salvatore mansion in a foul mood. She had just gotten back from town where she had spoken with Pearl. According to her friend, Mrs. Fell had just been in the day before to assure that vervain was being sold to the public. They were on to them, and although she was not frightened, it upset her that this might mean relocation in the near future. She had grown found of the small town and was having fun playing with the Salvatore brothers while they were yet alive. Relocating would mean an end to their human lives.

Pearl estimated that they had another couple of months at least. Despite the towns people's suspicions they had no idea the vampires that they feared were walking amongst them during the day and therefore were overlooking what was right in front of their noses.

Besides news of the vervain, Pearl had also relayed an invitation to Katherine for her to pass on to the Salvatores. The Lockwood family would be hosting a ball for the more prominent families in town. The two Miss. Pierces were invited as well, of course.

Katherine seethed at the notion to once again having to introduce Elena as her dear sister. She was growing tired of the façade and wished that she could end it now without drawing too much attention to herself. Katherine smiled to herself as she thought about one small grace the possible need to leave soon awarded her. She could kill the nuisance then without drawing attention to herself. The thought of Elena's death brightened her mood exponentially.

**A/N: Soooo? I hope you liked it. Let me know what you thought. Feed my muse : ) Things will start escalating from here. Katherine is obviously growing more annoyed with Elena and I'm sure the ball at the Lockwood's is not going to help…evil laugh**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: First of all I want to thank every person that is reading this right now. Thank you for sticking with me and not giving up on this story. I definitely haven't. The semester from Hell is over, and I can finally get back to doing the things I love. Those things include writing this fanfic and watching Vampire Diaries. Just so you understand how busy I have been over the past couple months, let me tell you that I have not gotten to watch TVD in a really long time. The last episode I saw was where Klaus took Elena's blood. Ya.. I know… I'm disappointed in myself as well. This Christmas break is all about catching up. So now I ask you for two favors. 1. Don't tell me what is going on in TVD. 2. Forgive me for my absence. This chapter is really long, and I hope it makes sense. I know you have waited for what seems like an eternity to read this chapter, so I hope it is everything you want it to be. Please excuse any typos, as I tried to get this to you as soon as possible. **

The day of the Lockwood's event approached faster than anyone in the Salvatore household would have expected. Their RSVP's had been made the moment Katherine had announced the party, and the rest of the week was spent in preparation. New gowns were ordered for the two Miss Peirce sisters and the servants made sure that the Salvatore brothers' best clothing was pressed and ready to go.

Katherine watched it all with a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. Usually she would have reveled in the chance to spend the night toying with her two favorite playthings, but now she felt as though she was struggling for the affections of one of them—namely Damon Salvatore. Since the night she had brought him hunting with her, he seemed distant, avoiding her when any other time he would have been begging to be with her. She also noted with a pang of jealously that he seemed to enjoy spending time with her 'sister' a little too much.

Determined to fix this change in affection, Katherine made her way up to the elder Salvatore brother's room that afternoon, deciding to have a little fun before the carriage arrived to take them across town to the Lockwood family estate.

Knocking lightly, she pushed the door open before she received an answer to find Damon standing near the mirror in his room carefully fastening the buttons on his deep red vest, clearly preparing for the night's festivities.

Katherine smiled as her eyes locked with his in the mirror and she approached him slowly, reaching out to straighten his tie.

"Mmm, you look amazing," she said in her most seductive voice. "Too bad it was a waste of time getting dressed when you're just going to have to do it all over again."

Damon's eyes went to her fingers that were slowly undoing the buttons he had just done. His hand covered hers then.

"Katherine," he said.

"What?" she giggled in response. "Don't you want to enjoy me before the party. We have plenty of time."

Damon sighed and lifted her hand from his chest.

"Now is not the time."

This is all he said before he refastened the buttons and started walking for the door. Katherine opened her mouth to protest, but he was out of the room before she could speak.

She fumed as she stood there now alone in Damon's room, rejected for the first time in her vampire life. She had every desire to march right out after him and compel him on the spot. She had done it several times to Stefan, so it wouldn't be anything new.

"No," she told herself. "Let him think he doesn't want me. We'll see who he's begging for at the Lockwood's."

Katherine stormed from the room determining to make herself too tempting for Damon to resist later that night. She would have his affections freely and without compulsion before the end of ball.

….

The moment I stepped out of the Salvatore's carriage and approached the Lockwood estate, I knew it would be a night to remember. All of the prominent names of Mystic Falls were there: the Fells, the Gilberts, and the Lockwoods among others. Carriages arrived one after another, and excited guests made their way in groups to the Lockwoods' expansive ballroom. Gowns of every color blended together in a sea of fabric as we entered the great room.

"Breathe," Damon whispered in my ear from beside me. "Don't make it completely obvious that you've never been to a dance like this before."

A smile played over my lips as he said this. Katherine's glare came from beside him but turned to a charming smile as a man and woman approached us.

"Ah, three of my favorite people," the man said in greeting. "And who might this young flower be?"

The man took my hand and kissed it lightly.

"My name is Elena Pierce," I said sweetly before adding: "Katherine's sister."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss. Pierce. I am Mr. Lockwood and this is my lovely wife, Cynthia. We are so happy you were able to make it to our little party."

I smiled politely again in response as they walked away, greeting the next set of guests to enter the house.

Left alone with the Salvatore brothers and Katherine, I was taken back at how surreal this whole situation was. I had just met Tyler's ancestors. It was a huge piece of information to swallow and brought the reality of where, or more precisely when, I was hurtling back at me.

"Are you okay," came Damon's voice as he placed a gentle hand on the small of my back. "You looked as though you might be sick."

I gave him a weak smile and reassured him that I was fine.

"At least let me get you a drink," he continued.

Before I could respond, Katherine's glare was upon us and I quickly dropped my eyes to the wooden floor beneath me.

"Dance with me?" she directed at Stefan and although her voice raised in a question her tone was demanding.

Stefan consented with a smile, but all the while Katherine seemed to watch Damon from the corner of her eye. Clearly not getting the reaction that she was looking for, her eyebrows furled and she stalked away with the one brother who seemed to care for her presence at all.

"What's her problem," I asked as Damon grabbed a flute of wine from the nearby table and handed it to me.

Damon rolled his eyes.

"She's just jealous because I haven't been paying her any attention. Acting like a child as always."

He flashed me a smile to reassure me that everything was fine, but thinking of Katherine's jealously made my stomach lurch for the second time in just a few short minutes. If she were to find out about the day at the falls…

"Elena?"

Damon's voice broke through the fog of my thoughts, and I met his eyes. He must have seen the worry there, because he took my hand in his.

"There is no need to worry, Elena. Everything will be fine."

"What if she doesn't like the time we've been spending together? What if she..."

His finger lightly touched my lips to ebb the flow of words.

"I don't care what she thinks or says. Your arrival here has been the best thing that has happened to me in a long time. Nothing besides that matters."

I was about to interject then. Wanting to remind him that Katherine had much more than thoughts and words at her disposal. There was superhuman strength, compulsion, and not to mention a razor sharp temper to match those vampire teeth, but the rest of his words were sending butterflies through my stomach so I held my tongue.

"Please, just for this one night, forget about her, Elena," Damon continued. "Forget about her and dance with me."

As he said this, he slowly started pulling me towards the middle of the massive room where couples were taking their place for the next dance.

I held my ground.

"Damon," I whined. "I'm going to look like an idiot. I have no idea what I'm doing."

His smile grew mischievous then as he continued to lead me forward not saying a word in response to my fears.

When the music started and the couples lined up facing one another, my fears suddenly fell away. I knew this! I had done this just months before at the Miss Mystic Falls Pageant. All of a sudden, I was silently thanking my hometown for their seemingly annoying trend of continuing tradition.

I curtsied across from Damon as he gave me yet another of his trademark smiles, probably laughing to himself at the mess he thought he had gotten me into. But as I raised my hand in unison with his and started to slowly circle him, his smile fell away into a look of surprise.

"I thought you said you didn't know how to do this," he whispered as we switched directions.

Instead of answering, I treated him to a smile mimicking his earlier one, drawing myself closer to him so that mere centimeters separated us. Damon's eyes widened at my sudden burst of courage and fell to the delicate strand of lace that edged the low neckline of my dress.

A growl that almost hinted at what he would become rumbled through his frame and a familiar look passed through his icy eyes. A look I had seen just days before as he kissed me deeply amidst a golden sea wheat.

"I want to touch you," came his voice, barely audible above the music.

Even though his words set my skin on fire and I longed to close the miniscule gap that separated us, I kept my composure and flirted dangerously with my eyes.

"What's wrong, Mr. Salvatore? Not content with the simple intimacy of the near touch," I asked playfully, remembering the words of Mrs. Lockwood at the Miss Mystic Falls rehearsal.

Just then the music surrounding us swelled and Damon pulled me close to him, his right hand falling quickly to the small of my back while the fingers of his left laced perfectly with mine. The other couples did the same all around us, although they seemed to fade away as I looked up into Damon's eyes.

"What happened to looking like an idiot," he asked, clearly trying to keep his voice from quavering.

My eyes fell to the knot of his tie.

"Let's just say we've had practice dancing like this together," I answered quietly.

When I looked back up into Damon's eyes there was hunger in them, and I knew that he saw it in mine as well. Once the music had faded away and we bowed to each other once again, Damon approached me, eyeing a doorway leading further into the house.

"I need to be alone with you," he whispered. "Follow my lead in about five minutes. There is a study through that door and down the hall."

Before I could raise my objections or consent, he was leisurely walking across the room and further into the house. No one seemed to notice his departure.

Trying to steady my racing heart, I made my way towards the drinks. Grabbing another flute of wine I drank it quickly, frantically searching the room for Katherine. She was on the far side, laughing amongst a group of people that included the owners of the great home and the woman I recognized as Pearl.

Grateful that her back was to me, I gathered all of the courage that I had and slowly walked in the direction that Damon had just gone. Although there was nothing strange about what I was doing, I felt as though every eye in the room was burning through me.

After what seemed like an eternity, I finally made it to the hall. The bustle from the ballroom died down and all I could hear was the small muffled clack of my heels on the carpet and the beat of my heart in the silence.

The third door on the right was open and a warm glow came from within. Slowly, I peered around the corner to find Damon standing at the far end of the room, staring deeply into a lit fireplace.

"Damon," I whispered.

He turned then and came towards the door of the study, taking my hand and leading me inside. Closing the door behind us, he brushed my hair from my shoulders and started kissing slowly up my neck and across my jawline.

"Damon, stop," I pleaded without any form of conviction. My legs felt like jello as I slowing melted against him.

"No one is coming, Elena," he rationalized, his voice gruff and low. "They are too busy with the party."

"But Katherine she'll…"

Damon interrupted my excuses with another kiss, this time just to the left of my mouth, lingering there long enough for my resolve to cave completely. I moaned faintly, a small sound of acceptance and permission. That was all he needed.

Finding myself pushed against the wall, my fingers tangled in the raven locks of his hair. I gasped for breath between each long drowning kiss, forgetting my earlier fear completely. All that existed was here and now. The cool trail of where Damon's lips had been, his touch making my veins burn with liquid fire, the feel of him pressing hard against me.

It was then that I heard the muffled giggle of a female voice and the swinging of a heavy oak door. Damon turned around, moving himself in front of me just as two people burst into the room and a frightened squeal came from the young girl that had just entered.

"Oh God, Damon, I didn't realize this room was occupied."

A knowing smile came from the young man who had just spoken. He took the girl he was with by the hand and quickly started to lead her out of the room.

"I'll see you tomorrow for pheasant hunting then," the man said, before Damon could get a word in edgewise, leaving the room as quickly as he had come.

Mortified, I quickly started to fix my hair and cleared my throat, praying silently that we had not just been found out. To my surprise, Damon turned towards me smiling.

"What is so funny," I almost hissed. "He's going to tell Katherine, Damon. He—"

"Don't worry, Elena," he said, still chuckling. "That was Jotham Lockwood. He's sneaking around with G eneral Forbes' daughter. He's not going to say anything."

"Lockwood and Forbes? I guess some habits do die hard," I muttered under my breath.

Damon looked over at the grandfather clock in the corner of the room and swore under his breath.

"It's almost time to return home," he said. "The others are sure to be looking for us by now."

He looked upset by this fact and turned to me, tucking a piece of loose hair behind my ear.

"I don't want to presume that I know what you want," he began, slowly. "But—"

I leaned into him and kissed him deeply, only letting up when his lips curved into a knowing smile.

"I will come to your room tonight. If the lamp is still on, I will know to let myself in."

He turned from me then, opening the door to return to the ball.

"Wait five minutes before you follow," he said turning back to me and then grudgingly turned to leave, closing the door behind him.

**A/N: And there is chapter nine…. I hope you liked it! Chapter 10 is written and almost ready to post. I just need to read through it one last time. Unfortunately a messy house is calling my name, so it probably won't be up until tonight or tomorrow. Reviews are sure to keep me happy till then… Hint, hint… lol Once again, thank you so much for sticking with me! **


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: My, my what feisty readers I have. Half a day later than I promised and I am getting reviews begging for an update. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside lol. Now Joellen818, I expect a shirtless Damon at my doorstep within the hour as promised! Haha Thank you for your excitement! It certainly made my day. I hope that you all like this chapter. It is shorter than the last one, but I think it turned out well!**

**Previously on the Vampire Diaries….**

_He turned then and came towards the door of the study, taking my hand and leading me inside. Closing the door behind us, he brushed my hair from my shoulders and started kissing slowly up my neck and across my jawline._

"_Damon, stop," I pleaded without any form of conviction. My legs felt like jello as I slowing melted against him. _

"_No one is coming, Elena," he rationalized, his voice gruff and low. "They are too busy with the party."_

"_But Katherine she'll…"_

_Damon interrupted my excuses with another kiss, this time just to the left of my mouth, lingering there long enough for my resolve to cave completely. I moaned faintly, a small sound of acceptance and permission. That was all he needed. _

_Finding myself pushed against the wall, my fingers tangled in the raven locks of his hair. I gasped for breath between each long drowning kiss, forgetting my earlier fear completely. All that existed was here and now. The cool trail of where Damon's lips had been, his touch making my veins burn with liquid fire, the feel of him pressing hard against me…._

"_I don't want to presume that I know what you want," he began, slowly. "But—"_

_I leaned into him and kissed him deeply, only letting up when his lips curved into a knowing smile._

"_I will come to your room tonight. If the lamp is still on, I will know to let myself in."_

**Chapter 10**

"What the hell is going on?"

Damon looked up towards the door of the bedroom, or what was left of the door anyways. The oak door swung awkwardly on its frame and Katherine stood fuming beside it.

"Katherine, what—"

"What have you and that little bitch done?"

Damon stood from the bed where he had been laying, grimoire in hand.

"I honestly don't know what you are screaming about Katherine, so I suggest you leave."

Damon was definitely not in the mood to deal with the crazed vampire at the moment. Bonnie had still found no way to bring Elena back, and Damon was beginning to feel more and more helpless. His days consisted of growing amounts of alcohol and waiting for more of Elena's fine script to appear in the grimoire.

"Where is Elena?" Katherine shouted, not heeding to Damon's suggestion. "I'm going to kill—"

In seconds, the grimoire was on the ground and Damon had Katherine hanging a foot off the ground, his hand squeezing tightly on her throat.

"Don't talk about her," Damon growled, dropping Katherine harshly onto the floor and turning towards the grimoire to pick it up.

"I think I have every right to talk about her when she won't stay out of my damn mind. Why the hell is she popping up in all of my old memories?"

Damon stopped mid-step.

"She's popping up where?"

"In my memories of the year I turned you," Katherine complained. "She's everywhere, pretending to be my sister."

"You remember?" Damon asked slowly.

"Yes. Why? Don't you?"

"No," Damon growled. "Elena asked Bonnie to send her back to the time before Stefan and I were in her life. It went wrong and apparently she's in 1864."

Before Damon could continue, Katherine's laugh filled the room.

"So she hates you so much that she actually wants to change time so she doesn't have to know you anymore. That's priceless."

Damon boiled and he came at Katherine again. Prepared this time, she dodged him easily.

"Well as much as I love the pain this is obviously causing you, we have to fix it."

Damon gave her a quizzical look.

"I know. I know. I'm not one to help normally, but she's really starting to piss me off. Plus, I think she's changing things."

"What do you mean?"

"Well the night of the ball was the night I let you start drinking my blood. I knew that the townspeople were onto us, and I wanted to make sure that I could turn you quickly if the need should arise."

"And that hasn't happened?"

"No," Katherine almost pouted. "You haven't taken you eyes of the bitch for more than a few minutes all night, and honestly I haven't seen you for a half an hour. We should have gone off into the house by now to—"

Damon stopped her there, not wanting to talk about what should have happened next.

"I'm just saying, Damon. If we don't go off during the party, and I don't start giving you my blood things are going to start changing drastically. If you don't have that blood in you when you die…. Well we know what will happen."

"Yeah, I won't be forced by Stefan to make the decision to become a monster. I won't kill thousands of innocent people in a little over a century."

"Which means you also won't meet Elena in the future," Katherine interjected. "You won't be here to save her when she needs it. Let's face it Damon, if you weren't here she would already be dead ten times over already."

Katherine let that piece of information sink in. Damon knew it was true. Since he had come to Mystic Falls he had saved Elena countless times. Even if she could have survived this long without him, there was no way he would want her without protection now that Stefan had gone off the deep end. If Elena changed the past, she was signing her own death sentence if Bonnie ever figured out how to get her back.

"We need to stop her," Damon said under his breath.

"You're damn right we need to stop her," Katherine agreed, although for different reasons entirely. "Now, where is that pesky little witch?"

….

I paced my room back and forth since we had arrived home. I already knew where each squeaky floorboard was and had found the best path to walk silently as I let my mind race.

The lamp was on, glowing warmly in the surrounding dark. I had repeatedly moved it closer and closer to the door, wanting to make sure that the light could be seen through the crack.

Despite the constant fire burning in the lamp, my mind was conflicted, running over every possible scenario I could think of. Was this the right thing to do? I had fallen so quickly for this Damon, a Damon from another time, but what did this mean for the Damon I knew. Was he remembering every event I was changing? Was he waiting in our time for what he knew was coming? Did he know that my desire was for him as well?

It was then that I found myself sitting at the writing desk near the window, lifting the pen to dip in the ink. I needed to talk to him even if he couldn't talk back. I closed my eyes silently hoping that somewhere he was reading this as I wrote.

Damon,

I can't even express how much I miss you. The past couple of days have been so amazing and so confusing; I don't even know where to begin. There are so many things I should have said to you; so many things I want to say to you now, but it just doesn't feel right to tell you everything like this. You're so kind here Damon, but knowing you here makes me miss you even more. If you're remembering the things that are happening, please know that I wish every moment that I could have woken up to the fact that it is what I wanted all along. If you don't remember… please forgive the vague nature of this letter. Just know that I miss you more than anything.

Elena

My pen stopped on the tail of the 'a'. This was all I would tell him now. If he was remembering, he would know. If not it would be so much easier for him not to know, especially if Bonnie and Emily failed to find me a way home.

As I shut the heavy pages of the grimoire, the door to my room opened behind me. My heart raced in my chest, and I closed my eyes as I listened to Damon's quiet steps on the floorboards, a high creak as he stepped where I had learned not to. Suddenly, his lips were on my neck as he pulled me from the chair I was sitting in.

I stood and leaned into his embrace, resting my forehead on his, our noses barely touching as he leaned down to me. My breath hitched in my throat as I felt his fingers nimbly started to undo my dress.

"Are you sure?" he asked carefully, beckoning over to the glowing lamp that had been my signal.

"I have never been more sure of anything in my life," I replied, glancing quickly back to the grimoire on my desk, smiling at the thought of what Damon might be remembering over a century from now.

**A/N: Ta-da! Well I hope everyone liked it. I know it wasn't R rated, but I thought it was a nice place to stop. Please tell me what you thought : ) I have started the next chapter and it will be up sometime next week. I am shooting for early in the week. Thank you for all your kind reviews! They are truly what drives my motivation!**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Here is the next chapter for my amazing readers! I hope that you will accept this as a late Christmas present. I loved all of your kind reviews and hope you all had a wonderful holiday, whatever you celebrate : )**

Previously on the Vampire Diaries:

"_Where is Elena?" Katherine shouted, not heeding to Damon's suggestion. "I'm going to kill—"_

_In seconds, the grimoire was on the ground and Damon had Katherine hanging a foot off the ground, his hand squeezing tightly on her throat. _

"_Don't talk about her," Damon growled, dropping Katherine harshly onto the floor and turning towards the grimoire to pick it up._

"_I think I have every right to talk about her when she won't stay out of my damn mind. Why the hell is she popping up in all of my old memories?"….._

"_We need to stop her," Damon said under his breath. _

"_You're damn right we need to stop her," Katherine agreed, although for different reasons entirely. "Now, where is that pesky little witch?"_

**Chapter Eleven**

Bonnie rubbed the sleep out of her eyes as she sat listening to everything Katherine had told her. Damon had called her as soon as Katheirne had broken the news to him. Not wanting the vampire invited into her own home, she had agreed to meet at the boarding house. Fifteen minutes later, she was sitting in the kitchen as Damon made her a coffee, listening to Katherine tell of her sudden memories.

"So you're sure that Damon should have drank your blood at the party?"

"Yes, I'm sure," Katherine replied coldly. "It may have been over a hundred and fifty years ago, but that is a night that's hard to forget."

Bonnie turned to Damon, taking another long sip of her freshly brewed coffee.

"And what exactly do you remember about that night?"

Sighing, Damon began.

"I told you. I was at the dance with Katherine and Stefan. Katherine and I—went off into the house and…"

"Oh don't be such a prude, Damon," scolded Katherine. "We ravished one another in the Lockwood's study. It was the first night I let him drink from me. Stefan had the previous night. I wanted my blood in their systems just in case."

Katherine smiled as Damon and Bonnie visually cringed from the details. It was something she guessed Bonnie would rather not visualize and something that Damon would rather forget.

"And you're sure that this didn't happen in your changed memory?"

"How many times do I have to tell you that it didn't?"

Bonnie shrank back from the fury that rose in Katherine's voice.

"Katherine, she's just trying to help," Damon interjected.

"She could have helped by not trying this stupid spell in the first place. Isn't she supposed to be a good witch? This attempt at magic seems pretty half-assed to me."

"You're just upset because Damon is falling for someone other than you," Bonnie muttered under her breath.

Hearing her, Katherine lunged at Bonnie but was stopped short when Damon pushed her aside.

"Stop," Damon demanded. "Just leave until we need to ask you more questions."

Katherine rolled her eyes and made her way to the sitting room.

Clearly exhausted, Damon made his way back to Bonnie and sat beside her, a look of worry covering his face.

"Why can't I remember the things that she's remembering," he asked defeated. "It seems as if the memories come to her as soon as the past changes. All I get are these God damn messages in a book."

Damon pounded his fist into the table and the coffee mugs trembled violently. Taking his hand, Bonnie tried to be comforting.

"I don't know, Damon. I've searched and searched, but I'm coming up empty. If I knew you would be the first person I would tell. For now, all we can do is keep Katherine close so she can tell us what is going on in 1864 and keep looking."

"That's not enough," Damon growled. "We should be doing something more."

With that he grabbed the grimoire from the table and turned to leave only stopping when he saw Katherine blocking the door.

"Katherine, I'm not in the mood to play your games," he warned.

"Would something more include retrieving Emily's second grimoire?" Katherine said to Bonnie, ignoring Damon completely.

A look of astonishment passed over Bonnie's features, but was quickly replaced by one of doubt.

"Emily didn't have a second grimoire," she said. "If she did, I would know. It would have been passed down through my family."

"Not if it was stolen," Katherine responded, smiling at Bonnie's confusion. "Let's just say that Emily misplaced a grimoire when we were living with the Salvatore's."

"If by misplaced you mean that you stole it, then I can believe it," Damon said rudely, returning to his place at the table to listen to this new development.

"Well technically I compelled Stefan to steel it for me. I just hid it for safe keeping."

"Why? You're not a witch. You wouldn't be able to use it," Bonnie pressed.

"No, but I needed to make sure I had Emily's full allegiance. If she betrayed me, I needed a way to win over another witch. You would be surprised by how easy it is to get a witch to do your bidding if you bribing them with books of magic."

Katherine smiled sardonically, but Bonnie just looked offended.

"Maybe if you have no self-respect," she countered.

"Oh, you wouldn't even believe how many witches you can find that are lacking that."

Damon saw the tension rising between the two of them, so he quickly cut in.

"Who cares how she got the book, Bonnie. All that matters right now is that we get it. Where is it Katherine?"

"I hid it at the old Salvatore mansion when I was living there. Unfortunately, your father found out about the vampires before I could go back for it. For all I know it's still there."

Bonnie's eyes brightened and she shot up from where she was sitting.

"We should go get it now—"

"Yeah… I'm not going if the witch is going and only I know where I hid it so…"

"Are you serious right now," Bonnie interjected.

Damon, too anxious to get the grimoire, tried to avoid the obvious argument that was coming.

"Listen," he said, turning to Bonnie. "It's the middle of the night. It's going to be dark and you won't be able to see a thing. Katherine knows exactly where it is and we can find it faster than you can."

Bonnie sighed.

"Alright," she grudgingly agreed. "But hurry back."

Katherine shot Bonnie an icy stare and headed toward the door.

…..

Ten minutes later, Damon brought his car to a halt, leaving the headlights on and pointing at the rubble that used to be his childhood home. Moss had slowly worked its way into the cracks between the stones that marked the foundation and weeds clung tightly to the bricks that remained of the main fireplace.

Standing in front of his home now, he racked his brain for memories of 1864, but all he could see was Katherine and how far she had infiltrated into his life. As he glanced over at her now, making her way over what remained of his old life, he envied the memories that were surely streaming through her mind.

"So where did you put this thing," Damon said, leaving his thoughts behind and following her into the debris.

Instead of answering, Katherine headed toward what was left of the base of the fireplace and started counting bricks. Once satisfied that she had found the right one, she started to wiggle the surrounding bricks out of place.

"This," she began as she worked, "is just one of the many nooks and crannies that I discovered while living with you guys that I used for my own benefit."

Feeling betrayed by his own home, Damon began, "If I would have only been able to see the person you really were—"

"You would have still been head over heels in love with me," Katherine finished for him.

Damon shook his head as if his life depended on denying these words.

"No," he said. "Things would have been different. Things are different."

Katherine stopped what she was doing then and looked up at him a laugh ringing in her voice.

"Do you really believe that, Damon? I didn't compel you once. You knew what I was and you kept coming back for more. You wanted me. You wanted this life."

"No… I—"

"You knew. Despite my lies and kindness to the rest of the town, you saw what kind of person I was and you still wanted me. You wanted the pain it brought."

Damon advanced on Katherine then, slamming her against the eroding brick. Before he could respond, Katherine's laugh echoed through the surrounding forest.

"I'm over you Katherine," Damon growled through gritted teeth. "The mistakes I made are in the past. I'm a better man now."

"Is that what Elena tells you?" Katherine responded. "Because I really don't think that's the case. Let's look that the situation, Damon. You're in love with my doppelgänger. She may not be a complete bitch, but she causes you pain just like I did. That pain is what you live for."

Damon growled again and tightened his grip on her throat.

"Admit it, if she actually agreed to be with you and wanted to live happily-ever-after you couldn't handle it. You need the pain to survive."

In a flash, Damon crossed over to a patch of broken floorboards and ripped a loose piece out holding it at Katherine's breast before she even had time to blink. Breathing hard he pressed it uncomfortably into her skin.

"I would strongly suggest you stop talking now," he seethed.

"Or what? You're going to stake me? You need me, Damon. I'm the only one that knows what is going on with Elena remember?"

Damon's hold on her loosened. He felt helpless. The anger in him swirled and he longed to drive the makeshift stake though her heart, but he knew she was right. She had already proved useful, and he couldn't afford to lose that advantage right now.

"That's what I thought," she said as his hand dropped from her throat.

Ignoring Damon's obvious anger, Katherine returned to the loosened brick at the fireplace and carefully removed it, sliding an aged book from the hole she had created. It was covered in dirt and she could barely make out the name on the spine.

"Here it is," she said calmly, handing it to Damon.

Damon ripped the book from her hands and headed to the car. Without a word, he threw the book to the passengers seat and sped off, leaving Katherine standing in the darkness of the surrounding forest.

Unfazed, she smiled to herself and started walking in the direction of the boarding house.

"Someone is a bit cranky tonight," she mused to herself and started humming as she made her way back.

….

When the front door slammed open, Bonnie jumped from her position at the table. She must have fallen asleep for a few minutes because she awoke violently as Damon stormed into the house.

"What's wrong," she shouted when she saw Damon. By the look on his face she feared that Katherine had fooled them—that there was no book waiting for them at the old Salvatore mansion.

She was proven wrong, however, as Damon slammed the grimoire down on the counter. It sent dirt everywhere, and Bonnie had to squint in make out the name "Bennet" embossed into the spine.

"You got it," Bonnie almost squealed in delight as she reached for the musty book and gently opened it's pages.

When she looked up again to thank Damon and ask him where Katherine had gotten to, he was already rummaging through the liquor cabinet.

"Damon-," she started. "Did something go wrong?"

Instead of pouring himself a glass, Damon grabbed an entire bottle and took a long, deep drink.

"Just Katherine doing what she does best," he said bitterly.

Bonnie nodded in understanding.

"Being a bitch," she said.

"Not even that," Damon replied. "She gets inside of my head. She knows just the right buttons to push."

Damon lashed out in anger and threw the bottle he was holding against the far wall. The glass shattered. Bonnie leapt back at his sudden outburst.

"I mean, she says she never compelled me, but she didn't have to. It's like she always knows exactly what I'm thinking, and she uses it against me."

Damon went for another bottle of liquor and sat sullenly at the island where Bonnie had laid the grimoire. Bonnie was surprised to find when he looked up at her that there was true sadness in his eyes, and, despite her usual dislike of the vampire, she found her heart breaking for him.

"I love her Bonnie. I really do. It has nothing to do with Katherine or the fact that I could never have her. I want her to be mine. I've never cared about anyone more than I care about Elena."

"I know," Bonnie cut in. "And she knows that too."

Bonnie reached out to place a caring hand on Damon's, but he pulled away viciously.

"Then why did I let Katherine convince me otherwise?" he almost screamed. "She makes me feel like the only reason I love Elena is because of her—that I only want this because I want the pain that comes with it."

Bonnie's brow furled. Hate for Katherine rose in her chest and she found herself wishing for the first time that things could just work out between her best friend and this vampire—a vampire that she hated up until just a few weeks ago.

"She does it because she sees the truth," Bonnie responded. "She knows that you never loved her the way you love Elena. She doesn't want you to be happy, Damon."

Damon looked down wearily at the drink that sat in front of him. The once full bottle contained just a few more small swallows of the amber liquid.

"I know," he said quietly, nodding his head. "I know."

Bonnie rose from her seat, taking the bottle and placing back in the cabinet it had come from. Then taking her grimoire, she placed it in Damon's hands.

"I'll look through the new one. You take this one and see if she has written anything new. You need to rest and take your mind off of Katherine."

Damon didn't argue. He felt awful and knew that pouring over another ancient book would only make him feel worse.

"Let me know the minute you find anything," he demanded as Bonnie pushed him out of the kitchen and toward the stairs.

"I will."

…

Sitting on the edge of his bed, Damon held a tattered picture of Elena in his hands. It showed her smiling alongside of Bonnie and Caroline at some school event. He had taken if from a bookshelf at Bonnie's the first day he had come to look through the grimoire. He was almost positive that Bonnie knew he had it, but she had kept quite, knowing that he needed it to keep him sane.

Putting the picture back onto his bedside table he reached for the grimoire as he had done a hundred times in the past few weeks. Without much faith that anything new would be written there, he turned to the worn pages, until he saw new writing that caught his eye.

He read the words like a starving man devouring scraps of food, and when he had read Elena's message once, he began again and again, not realizing his emotions had gotten the best of him until a single tear fell and smudged her precious name.

Damon,

I can't even express how much I miss you. The past couple of days have been so amazing and so confusing; I don't even know where to begin. There are so many things I should have said to you; so many things I want to say to you now, but it just doesn't feel right to tell you everything like this. You're so kind here Damon, but knowing you here makes me miss you even more. If you're remembering the things that are happening, please know that I wish every moment that I could have woken up to the fact that it is what I wanted all along. If you don't remember… please forgive the vague nature of this letter. Just know that I miss you more than anything.

Elena

**A/N: Reviews = 3**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: I got tons of review for last chapter! I am so happy to announce that we are above 100 reviews! You guys are the best and this would never have gotten this far without your sweet reviews. I get excited every time my phone dings after I have posted a new chapter. I get all giddy and smile a lot. Haha**

**That being said, usually I try to respond to all your lovely reviews… unfortunately I didn't have time this chapter. Please know that I am so thankful for everything that you said and I promise to respond this time around : )**

**Things are really picking up lol. I was so surprised at the responses I got about the Damon/Bonnie moments in the last chapter. Bonnie hasn't always been my favorite character, (I think it has something to do with her dislike for our favorite vampire lol) so I was iffy about putting it in. I think it turned out nicely though, and I'm glad to know that a lot of you liked it as well.**

**As a side note, my husband made me really mad last night. We finally have time to watch TVD ( yes he watches with me.. lol) and we are one episode from being all caught up. At the end of the episode we just finished there is a really cute Delena moment. I turned to him and asked, "Do you think that they will ever get together?" His answer: "No. He's going to die." Ugh seriously. I was so mad that he even thought that lol. He said Damon will die saving Elena in the end. I told him that's the day the majority of the people stop watching it. Well anyways I had to update after that. I have faith that the good people behind TVD are smarter than my husband and will satisfy our Delena needs soon.**

**Happy reading!**

**Previously on the Vampire Diaries….**

_As I shut the heavy pages of the grimoire, the door to my room opened behind me. My heart raced in my chest, and I closed my eyes as I listened to Damon's quiet steps on the floorboards, a high creak as he stepped where I had learned not to. Suddenly, his lips were on my neck as he pulled me from the chair I was sitting in. _

_I stood and leaned into his embrace, resting my forehead on his, our noses barely touching as he leaned down to me. My breath hitched in my throat as I felt his fingers nimbly started to undo my dress. _

"_Are you sure?" he asked carefully, beckoning over to the glowing lamp that had been my signal. _

"_I have never been more sure of anything in my life," I replied, glancing quickly back to the grimoire on my desk, smiling at the thought of what Damon might be remembering over a century from now. _

**Chapter Twelve**

When my eyes blinked open the next morning, the sunlight was already streaming in the window of my room, and I felt the gentle touch of fingers running through my hair. I stretched, keeping my eyes closed, not wanting to ruin the fantasy of the amazing dream I had just awoken from.

"Are you finally awake?" I heard Damon whisper in my ear. "I thought you were going to sleep all day."

Opening my eyes, I looked up to see Damon beside me, his hair tousled just as it had been in my dream… or not a dream, I reminded myself.

"We were up half the night," I teased. "What did you expect? A girl needs her beauty sleep."

Damon leaned in and kissed me deeply, pressing his still naked body against mine.

"Believe me when I say you couldn't get anymore beautiful than you already are."

Pulling me into him again, Damon kissed my shoulder and made his way up the nape of my neck. Moaning slightly, I gently pushed him away.

"Damon, it has to be almost eight in the morning. You have to go. What if K—"

Damon put his finger to my lips and chided me playfully.

"We agreed not to use the 'K' word," he said smiling as he slowly made his way under the covers and started kissing my stomach, trailing slowly south.

"Ok, ok," I said as my breath hitched in my throat. "But what about Jotham and your father. Aren't they going to be wondering where you are when they go pheasant hunting this morning?"

Damon's lips left my skin then, leaving a cool emptiness that I regretted almost immediately.

"Damn it," Damon swore under his breath.

Surfacing from beneath the blankets once again, he had a look of disappointment on his face that almost made me tell him to blow off hunting and stay there with me. I knew, however, that he had to leave. Even if he refused to calculate Katherine into the situation, I knew that she was a real threat. The minute she found out about this we would both be dead.

"You'll be right here when I come back, though right?" Damon asked teasingly.

Before I could answer the grandfather clock from below echoed through the house as it chimed eight times. Almost as soon as the sound ended, Giuseppe's voice came shouting up the stairs.

"Sons! Jotham will be waiting! Hurry and get down here!"

Damon jumped to his feet, quickly pulling on the clothes that littered the floor. After leaning down for one final kiss and a look of regret that he was leaving, he bound from the room and down the stairs to meet his father and brother.

Still laying in the tangle of sheets on my bed, I moved to the spot Damon had just left. I could still feel the warmth of his body, though it was fading quickly. The room felt empty without him. I wanted him here with me forever. Frequently throughout the night, I found myself wondering if the Damon of my time would be as gentle and loving as he had been last night—knowing exactly what I needed to feel him do and hear him say.

Thinking about him once again, I left the warm confines of my bed and hurried over to the desk where the grimoire sat waiting for me to write.

I wanted to tell him that I loved him. That I needed him as much as he needed me. That I had been blind for so long, but now I never wanted to be without him. But those words seemed so weak compared to what I was feeling and even weaker written on a blank page that I didn't even know if he would ever see. So instead I found myself writing three simple words that would never be strong enough.

_I miss you._

…_._

As the sun started to peek through the kitchen windows, Bonnie felt devoid of hope. She had searched and searched to no avail. There were just a few more spells to look over before she reached the last pages of the grimoire. Taking another long sip of her now cold coffee, she turned the rigid pages of the book.

_The new moon is the most affective moon phase to perform traveling spells._

The sentence was written in what Bonnie recognized as Emily's handwriting. Her droopy eyelids were suddenly wide as she saw the spell that was on the same page.

Ripping the grimoire off the counter, Bonnie bounded out of the kitchen and up the stairs. Throwing open Damon's bedroom door, she found him staring blankly into the other grimoire, his finger lightly trailing over the words 'I miss you.'

As she entered the room, however, his stare shot up towards her and a long lost look of excitement crossed his face. Before he could ask if she had found anything, she was already sitting beside him shoving the grimoire she was holding onto his lap.

"I found it," she squealed jumping up from the bed and pacing the room. "I can't believe it was there. I didn't' think we'd ever find—"

"What do we have to do," Damon interrupted resolutely while he scanned the page.

"From what I have read so far, if we do the spell on that page on a new moon we can get her back. It's tricky but I think I can do it. I have all the things it asks for and the new moon is only three weeks away. I just have to—"

All of a sudden Damon threw the grimoire to the ground.

"Get out."

Bonnie looked at him in confusion. Having no idea what had caused his anger, she bent to pick the book back up.

"Damon, what's wrong—"

"Why don't you read the whole damn thing," he yelled.

Bonnie skimmed down the page to where she had stopped reading. She had gotten so excited that she had run to get Damon without finishing the whole page. Reading farther down she saw what had caused Damon's frustration.

The spell needed to be done on a new moon. Unfortunately, the spell also needed to be preformed in the time where the subject of the spell was stuck.

Bonnie's face fell and she felt the sharp tears of anger threatening to spill over.

"No," she muttered. "No, there has to be a way around it."

"No, Bonnie there doesn't," Damon fumed. "Maybe there isn't, and you got her stuck in this mess forever."

Bonnie flipped the grimoire back open and started searching the pages again. Before she got far, Damon took the book from her hand and flung it across the room.

"Stop," she gasped as she started collecting pages that had fallen out as the book hit the wall.

Tears were streaming down her face now and she could barely see to stuff the pages back in the book. It was then that she came across a page that had fallen from the grimoire that did not look as if it had been tore from the book as it hit the wall. It was folded neatly in half.

Through her tears she slowly unfolded the page and looked down at it in awe as she read what was written there. Turning to Damon, she handed him the page.

"This is how we are going to talk to Elena."

….

After Damon left to hunt, I felt uncomfortable all day. It was obvious that Katherine was in a bad mood. She shot me stabbing stares all that morning. Each time, I avoided her gaze. Though it was nonsense, I was terrified she was going to sense that something was different. That her hold on Damon had finally snapped. That he had been with me. For this reason, I excused myself early from breakfast and made my way to my room, saying that I wasn't feeling well and that I was going to go lie down.

I made my way up the stairs and hurried into my room, breathing a quick sigh of relief as I closed the door behind me before looking over at my bed where Damon Salvatore sat.

Suddenly there was no air in my lungs, and I grabbed onto the door handle to steady myself. At no time did I wonder why Damon had returned early from his trip with his father. I knew that this was not the same man who had left just an hour before. This was my Damon. The Damon that I had been longing to see for so long.

Before I could say a word, Damon was at my side. Clearly concerned at my lack of breathing. When I looked up at him there were tears in his eyes and as I felt him brush the wetness off my cheeks I knew that I was crying as well.

"Elena," he whispered, almost as if he was testing the reality of my name. "Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

"I—I'm fine," I stuttered. "But how are you here?"

"Bonnie found a spell," he explained quickly clearly not caring about the logistics at the moment. "It's along the same line of spells as Luca's father used to get him into the house, but more powerful and wide reaching."

"I've missed you. I—"

Suddenly everything I had been dying to say was rushing around in my head. He was here. I could feel him against me. I wanted to say so much, but suddenly I was sobbing in his arms. I buried my face in his chest trying to muffle to sounds of my cries.

Without saying a word, Damon wrapped his arms tighter around me and as my crying slowed he whispered, "I've missed you too," and lightly pressed his lips to my forehead, kissing me gently, almost hesitantly.

"Do you remember," I asked looking up at him then. "Do you remember anything that has happened?"

"No," he responded, looking almost guilty. "I don't remember anything. I'm so sorry."

"But I'm changing things," I said, wiping the tears from my eyes. "You don't love her, Damon. You don't want to become like her."

The excitement in my voice was quickly obliterated by the look in his eyes. There was a struggle there—relief that he didn't love Katherine, but something else as well, something that could have almost been heartbreak.

"You have to let it happen. I have to fall in love with Katherine so I drink her blood."

Anger coursed through me then. How could he want that? He was supposed to love me!

"No," I said, the hurt clearly written on my face. "You're unhappy as a vampire, Damon. You could live out your life here. You wouldn't have to search for her only to have your heart ripped out later."

"That doesn't matter," he argued. "If I don't drink her blood, I never get to know you in the future. I need you."

My breath caught in my throat for the second time in just a few short minutes at his words. Wiping the tears from my eyes, I tilted my head upward and caught his lips with mine, wanting to show him everything I couldn't get myself to say. Hesitantly, he kissed me back, not knowing at first how to respond to my advances. His hands slowly came up to cradle my face as he kissed me deeper. Despite being with human Damon, this meant more than anything that had happened the previous night. This was the man that I wanted to be with. I needed to get home.

Breaking our connection, Damon stepped back looking as if he was trying to steady himself.

"The spell is loosing its strength," he said shaking his head.

"No," I almost cried. "You have to take me back with you."

Pain crossed over his face then, and I knew that he couldn't do that.

"Bonnie has a way to get you back," he said, turning to the writing desk and opening the grimoire. He paused as he looked over the fresh ink from where I had just written and then hurriedly scribbled notes beside it.

Once he had set the pen down he turned to me. The color of his black shirt seemed to fade before my eyes and his facial features became lighter.

"Show that to Emily," he instructed. "She'll know what to do."

"Damon, don't leave me," I pleaded.

He reached out and grabbed my hands, his touch feeling fainter with every second.

"Please promise me one thing, Elena. Don't stop writing in the grimoire. I need to know that you're okay."

My eyes flittered over to the book that lay open on my desk and relief flooded over me to know that he had been getting my notes.

"I promise," I whispered.

As he leaned in to kiss me, I clung to his fading form wanting him to stay as long as he possibly could. I could feel his own desperation as his kiss deepened, and I gasped as he pulled away.

I reached out to touch his face, but my fingers went right through him and when he spoke it was little louder than a whisper.

"I love you so much, Elena," he said.

"I love you, too," I cried as I fell to my knees.

Looking up I watched as he faded away, a look of astonishment on his face as my last words hit him.

**A/N: First contact since like chapter one…. So I hope you all liked it. There was so much I wanted to get in that chapter so hopefully it didn't feel rushed or confusing. Please review and tell me what you thought :) I hope you liked it. **

**Now it is time for me to watch the last episode of TVD! I'm so excited! I am determined not to get this behind again. You read. I'll watch. Sounds like a good plan!**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Sorry for my longer than expected absence. I hope that you didn't miss me too much. Once again I am so behind on everything. I finally got caught up before the midseason break, but I've fallen behind on the episodes yet again. I'm hoping to catch up this week. **

**I know that last chapter I was very excited about reaching 100 reviews, but I am even more excited this time around. I've gone from 109 last chapter to over 150 this chapter. I can't believe it. It makes me so happy! I'm glad that everyone is enjoying it and I'm so thankful for all your wonderful responses. With that said, I won't keep you any longer. Hope you enjoy the next chapter….**

**Previously on the Vampire Diaries…..**

"_But I'm changing things," I said, wiping the tears from my eyes. "You don't love her, Damon. You don't want to become like her."_

_The excitement in my voice was quickly obliterated by the look in his eyes. There was a struggle there—relief that he didn't love Katherine, but something else as well, something that could have almost been heartbreak._

"_You have to let it happen. I have to fall in love with Katherine so I drink her blood."_

_Anger coursed through me then. How could he want that? He was supposed to love me!_

"_No," I said, the hurt clearly written on my face. "You're unhappy as a vampire, Damon. You could live out your life here. You wouldn't have to search for her only to have your heart ripped out later."_

"_That doesn't matter," he argued. "If I don't drink her blood, I never get to know you in the future. I need you."_

_My breath caught in my throat for the second time in just a few short minutes at his words. Wiping the tears from my eyes, I tilted my head upward and caught his lips with mine, wanting to show him everything I couldn't get myself to say. Hesitantly, he kissed me back, not knowing at first how to respond to my advances. His hands slowly came up to cradle my face as he kissed me deeper. Despite being with human Damon, this meant more than anything that had happened the previous night. This was the man that I wanted to be with. I needed to get home._

**Chapter 13**

Damon's eyes remained closed as he felt the air shift around him. He knew he had returned when the sickly sweet smell of candles hit his senses and their flames danced in the darkness behind his thin eyelids.

Before he could open them again, he felt the smallest tear fall from his lashes and trace the contours of his face. It took all his strength not to fall to his knees. It wasn't until Bonnie hesitantly whispered his name that he found the strength to open his eyes.

"Damon, what happened," she pressed when he didn't readily respond. "Did it work? Did you—"

"I saw her," he said, his voice unsteady. "I felt her."

A smile spilled across Bonnie's lips and her heart leapt excitedly in her chest. There was finally hope. Her grin became contagious as Damon was hit by the reality of what they had just done. They had done it. Emily had the spell. Elena would be back in a little less than a month.

…

From the moment that Damon left, a war raged within me. My mind and my heart were in a constant battle. Damon's pleas echoed through my head—his pleas to let him fall in love with Katherine. While I knew this was the right thing to do, my heart reminded me of the night before. Of his gentle touch. Of his lips trailing my body. I couldn't hurt that Damon. The Damon who would be returning home in just a few short hours expecting welcoming arms.

I paced the wooden floor of my room for hours, weighing my options and their consequences. By sunset that evening, when the Salvatore men returned from their trip, I had made up my mind and I knew my decision was for the best. Despite the pounding of my heart, I slowly made my way to the dinning room when supper was announced.

For the first half of dinner, I concentrated with all my might at the peas on my plate. The tone in the room was jovial while Giuseppe and Stefan fueling conversation with stories of their day. Damon added comments occasionally, but remained quiet for the most part, a slight smile playing on his lips. I kept my eyes from wondering across the table where he sat, playful glances shooting my way

I could feel his eyes as if they were fire igniting my skin. At first they were flirtatious. When our eyes would accidently meet, traces of the night before shone in his eyes. Each time he would smile my way, my eyes would drop to my plate. _Count your peas, Elena_, I told myself as I slid the vegetables to the other side of my plate again.

By the time dessert was served, Damon had obviously sensed something was the matter. By this time, his father was on his fifth glass of wine and was exuberantly discussing politics with his two sons as Katherine and I looked on. In between his father's predictions for the war, Damon's glances became more frequent, his brows drawn in a sort of question—a question that I was not looking forward to discussing.

Just as I was getting ready to excuse myself from the dinner table, Giuseppe's conversation turned away from the war to the dance we had all attended the previous evening.

"So, Miss. Elena, how was your first official Mystic Falls gathering?" he asked in a booming tone. "The city counsel is famous for putting together the best events this side of the Mississippi River."

Knowing that I couldn't match his own excitement at the moment, I gave him a small smile.

"It was wonderful," I said, trying to sound convincing. "The Lockwoods have a wonderful home. I just hope I didn't make too big a fool of myself. My dancing skills have become a bit rusty."

"Nonsense," came Damon's kind voice from across the table. There was a warm smile on his face. "You danced beautifully. Every eye in the room was on you."

My eyes flashed over to where Damon was sitting. As my glance caught his, images from the previous night flashed before my eyes. Circling him slowly, nearly touching as the music swelled around us. My body pressed fiercely into the wall of the Lockwood's study, heart hammering in my chest. Damon's lips on my throat as he moved overtop of me, his body illuminated by the moonlight streaming in my window.

Before I could stop myself, I was on my feet, my chair toppling to the floor behind me. All eyes at the table were the size of saucers, and Damon immediately stood and started to round the table to help me. I pinned him with my eyes, silently begging him to stay where he was.

"Elena, are you okay—" he started.

"I—I'm feeling sick to my stomach," I lied. "Please excuse me."

With the eyes of everyone in the room following me as I left, I hurried toward the stairs, quickly ascending them and heading to my room. Not ten seconds later there was a knock at my door. It opened without my consent.

"Elena," Damon started as he entered. "What's going on? Are you okay?"

Before I could answer, tears were spilling down my cheeks. Damon came toward me, pulling me into his chest. I buried my head there for a moment, breathing in his comforting sent. Then pulling together all the strength I could muster, I pushed him away.

"I can't do this," I mumbled, turning away from him.

"You can't do what?" There was a tinge of panic in his voice.

"This," I almost sobbed. "You. Me. Us."

Damon's face fell.

"You can't be serious," he said, clearly trying to work through what was happening in his mind. "What about last night? This morning?" He paused. "Did Katherine say something to you?"

"Katherine didn't say anything."

"Then what's wrong? Elena, please tell me, I can fix this. Whatever I did—I can fix it."

It broke my heart to see him scrambling like that. To see him want this so much—just as much as I did. I knew that I had to crush him now. He had to believe I was serious, or I would give in and everything would spiral out of control. History would be altered.

"You can't fix it," I snapped, trying to sound as exasperated and annoyed as my shaking voice would let me. "I don't want to be with you, Damon!"

"What about last night?" he managed to say. "What about this morning? You seemed fine then. You—"

"Last night was a huge mistake. It should have never happened."

"I don't believe that," Damon said, shaking his head. "You can't honestly believe what your saying, Elena." He paused for a moment and then looked me firmly in the eyes. Taking ahold of my arms he said: "I love you. I love you more than anything in this world, Elena. You have to see that."

Before I could respond, I shut my eyes tight and willed away the emotion that surfaced. He loved me. I loved him. But if I loved him I had to let him go. This thought alone gave me the strength to do what I knew needed to be done.

Swallowing my emotions, I opened my eyes.

"I do see that, Damon," I began. "And that's what makes you pathetic. If you think that just because I sleep with you I'm suppose to return that love you're an idiot. I don't understand what Katherine sees in having you follow her around like a pitiful little puppy. It's maddening."

When I stopped talking, I was nearly out of breath. My hands were shaking and I felt like I was going to be sick.

Damon just stood in front of me in stunned silence. If the breaking of a heart were audible, the sound of shattering glass would have been echoing through my room. When he finally spoke, his voice was level and unconvincingly calm.

"If that's how you feel, I understand. I'm sorry that I misunderstood what was happening."

Damon gave me one last look before turning on his heels and leaving the room, slamming the door behind him. It took all of my control not to call out for him, to follow him out of the room and take it all back. The only reason I had the strength to stay put was that I knew he wouldn't hate me forever. Someday he would love me again.

**A/N: Hope you liked it! Please let me know what you think. **


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: Hello everyone! Remember me? I write this fanfiction for Vampire Diaries… I hope that you haven't totally forgotten lol. Well I am on spring break so I decided to write a chapter and get it up before I go back to school. The good news is after I go back I only have ONE week! I'm excited! Are you? I am really hoping to be able to finish this up sometime soon. I hate not being able to post chapters for such a long time. I haven't even watched TVD since Christmas break! So much to catch up one… Well here is the next chapter. Thank you for everyone who has stuck with me this long!

Previously on the Vampire Diaries…

"_You can't fix it," I snapped, trying to sound as exasperated and annoyed as my shaking voice would let me. "I don't want to be with you, Damon!"_

"_What about last night?" he managed to say. "What about this morning? You seemed fine then. You—"_

"_Last night was a huge mistake. It should have never happened."_

"_I don't believe that," Damon said, shaking his head. "You can't honestly believe what your saying, Elena." He paused for a moment and then looked me firmly in the eyes. Taking ahold of my arms he said: "I love you. I love you more than anything in this world, Elena. You have to see that."_

_Before I could respond, I shut my eyes tight and willed away the emotion that surfaced. He loved me. I loved him. But if I loved him I had to let him go. This thought alone gave me the strength to do what I knew needed to be done. _

_Swallowing my emotions, I opened my eyes._

"_I do see that, Damon," I began. "And that's what makes you pathetic. If you think that just because I sleep with you I'm suppose to return that love you're an idiot. I don't understand what Katherine sees in having you follow her around like a pitiful little puppy. It's maddening."_

_When I stopped talking, I was nearly out of breath. My hands were shaking and I felt like I was going to be sick. _

_Damon just stood in front of me in stunned silence. If the breaking of a heart were audible, the sound of shattering glass would have been echoing through my room. When he finally spoke, his voice was level and unconvincingly calm. _

"_If that's how you feel, I understand. I'm sorry that I misunderstood what was happening."_

_Damon gave me one last look before turning on his heels and leaving the room, slamming the door behind him. It took all of my control not to call out for him, to follow him out of the room and take it all back. The only reason I had the strength to stay put was that I knew he wouldn't hate me forever. Someday he would love me again. _

**Chapter 14**

My eyes are closed as wind rushes violently around me, whipping my hair into knots. Throughout the roar of the gale, I can hear Emily chanting. Reciting the ancient words that will finally deliver me to the time in which I belong. My heart pounds in my chest, and I clasp my fists tight, refusing to let the wind blow me away.

All at once, everything is still. My hair has fallen back into place. There is no sound but my own breathing. I am afraid to open my eyes. That is when I hear it. My name. His voice saying my name.

My eyes burst open, almost expecting to be standing in the Salvatore boarding house. Almost expecting Damon to come running towards me. Almost, but not quite.

Instead, I am standing in the Mystic Falls Cemetery. The sun shines down, warming my skin. It is normally the type of day that would put a smile on my face. The perfect windows down, radio up kind of day. It is because of this that it surprises me that I am cold. My skin crawls, and I know immediately that something is wrong.

I look in the direction that I heard Damon say my name, and I see a procession of people standing by an open grave. People in black. People crying. Looking closer, I see people I know. Bonnie. Caroline. Jeremy. Damon. Damon, his one hand shaking as he grasps a small, crumpled piece of paper while the other hurriedly wipes a tear that is seconds away from dripping off of the end of his nose.

My name slips gently from his lips again as he continues to talk, and I realize he is not addressing me. He reads from his paper, too emotional to look to those around him. He says that he loved me, that he will always love me.

Confused, I run toward the crowd of people. The crying becomes louder as I reach them.

"Damon," I shout. "Stop! What's going on?"

He doesn't respond. He just reads on.

"Damon, please," I cry.

I reach out to touch him, to make him listen, but I go right through him. He doesn't feel me. I don't feel him. It is like I do not exist. Backing away dumbfounded, I look down at the gravestone before me. On it is my name.

"I'm not dead! I'm right here!" I continue to insist, but as I say it I feel myself slipping away as though I've become like jam spread over too much toast. Reaching out to touch him one last time, I finally get a grip on the sleeve of the black shirt that he is wearing. A grip on the present time. I can feel myself being pulled back. The things around me becoming more tangible. It is then that Damon stops reading. My heart leaps as I realize that he must have felt my touch. I open my mouth to call his name again, when his eyes meet mine and his piercing gaze stops my words. His eyes are full of hate and as he speaks everyone in the crowd turns to me and stares.

"You are dead to me, Elena."

I gasped as my eyes shot open, and I found myself tangled in the sheets around me. It had just been a dream, but it felt so real. Looking at the clock across the room in the darkness, I could just barely make out the time. Two in the morning. I had only been asleep for a little over an hour. I sighed as I buried my face in my hands.

After Damon had left the room earlier, I finally allowed myself to break down. Regretting the words I had said, I just wanted to run to him—to tell him that it was all a lie and that I needed him now more than ever. It killed me that I couldn't do it. He had to believe that I never loved him. It would be too easy for Katherine to sense that something was wrong and to compel him to tell her the truth. If Katherine were to believe he loved her and not me, he had to believe it too.

Not long after Damon had stormed off, Emily came in to see what was wrong. The whole family was apparently worried, although I knew Katherine's concern was more for show than anything else.

Without saying a word, I had grabbed the grimore and shoved it towards her. Damon's fresh script was still crisp on the page. Her eyes widened as she read what was written there.

"I-I haven't seen this spell in years. I knew it existed, but—"

"Will it work," I had asked, cutting her off before she could finish her explanation.

She read over what Damon had written one more time before slowly nodding.

"As long as everything's in place and we preform it on the new moon there shouldn't be much chance for error. I know it's three weeks away, but that will give me plenty of time to get the things I need together."

Despite my excitement, three weeks sounded like an eternity to wait. Especially in a house where the man I loved now hated me and a psychotic vampire watched my every move.

"Does it have to be the new moon," I asked quickly. "Couldn't we do it earlier?"

Emily smiled politely. She could obviously see the longing in my eyes.

"I'm afraid not," she explained. "The closer to the new moon, the more accurate it is going to be. Time travel is tricky even when done right. If we did this now you could be sent to the wrong time again, or, even worse, you could become stuck."

"Stuck?"

"Between time. Imagine being able to go back to your time but not being able to interact with anything or anyone. No one would know you were there. They would just go on living, assuming you were still here or dead."

With those words we both stood silently, imagining the horror of living such a life. Emily cleared her throat then and copied Damon's instructions, knowingly leaving the grimore, my one way of communication into my time, on the desk for me.

"Everything will be fine, Elena. The next three weeks will be over before you know it."

Now sitting in the darkness of the room, I knew that her words were not true. The next three weeks were going to drag by, especially if I couldn't sleep through the night, dreaming of being stuck between time.

I ran my fingers through my hair and took deep, shaking breath. I needed a drink. My throat felt like sandpaper and I hadn't eaten anything since my abrupt departure at dinner. Quietly, I got out of bed and slipped into the hallway. The house was eerily quiet and the light from the moon filtered in though the huge bay window looking out into the front yard.

As I reached the edge of the stairs and stepped down the first one, a loud creak echoed though the house. I took my weight off of the step and held my breath, listening for any movement from the bedrooms that lined the hallway.

It was then that I heard it. A muffled giggle and then a gasp. I tried to move, to tiptoe back to my room, but I was frozen. It was like every muscle in my body was working against me in a combination of fear and dread. The sound was coming from Katherine's room, and I knew she was not alone.

"Stop it. Are you trying to wake your father? I don't think he would be too pleased to find you here."

The voice was definitely Katherine's, but despite her warning she did not seem angry. Her voice was falsely childlike and giddy. However, it was not her voice that sent shivers down my spine. It was the one that responded.

"My father could sleep though the Battle of Gettysburg," Damon responded. "I really don't think our bit of fun is going to wake him. Besides you promised—"

"I promised those things before you started spending time with that tramp."

Katherine's whispers were now laced with venom, her true colors showing through in her obvious jealousy.

"I should have killed her the moment she arrived."

"I told you that it was nothing," Damon pleaded. "My father wanted us to be hospitable. She means nothing to me. Doesn't it prove that you are the one that I really want if I'm asking for this from you?"

Damon sounded almost desperate and it didn't take me long to understand the topic of their discussion. He had made the decision to take her blood. Whether he really wanted it or needed to feel as though he wanted it I didn't know. I did know, however, that I couldn't stand here and listen to this any longer. My thirst had vanished and now all I longed for was to burry my head under my pillow. I never wanted to hear their voices together again.

I childishly stuck my fingers in my ears as I slowly crept along the hallway, praying that I wouldn't find another noisy board. Before I had made it even halfway to my room, my foot felt a floorboard give and it moaned loudly through the house.

"What was that?" Katherine's whisper came from two doors down.

"Probably just the wind," Damon's voice came, clearly distracted.

There was a shift of sheets and a clear sound of Damon's aggravated sigh as Katherine's attention drifted to the noise she had heard in the hallway.

"Check," Katherine demanded.

There was grumbling and then the sound of bare feet of the hard wood floor. My heart beat in my chest as I frantically tried to decide if I could make it to my room before he opened the door. Before I could make a decision, the bedroom door creaked open and Damon stood shirtless not five feet away from me.

His eyes registered surprise as he looked at me. They were sad and soft—almost as if he had woken from a dream to find me waiting for him instead of the woman whose room he was now in. His lips parted as if to say something, but he stopped as he saw me staring at the crimson marks that traced the curve of his neck and the smudge of blood on his lower lip. He lifted his hand and brushed his index finger against his lips, pulling it away to see the blood that lingered there.

As he looked back up at me, I saw something in his eyes that made my heart ache. It was almost as if he were silently begging for my forgiveness or maybe even my help—as if the events that were unfolding before him where swallowing him without any regard to what he actually wanted.

"Damon?" Katherine's voice came from the bedroom. "What was it?"

His head whipped around in the direction of Katherine's voice. Hesitating only momentarily, he turned toward the bedroom and took a step in the direction that was ultimately going to decide his fate.

"Nothing," he said. "Must have been the wind."

**A/N: Well after such a long break, I hope you are all still with me. I also hope that the chapter was worth the wait. Please let me know what you think. I apologize now for any typos. I wanted to get this out there without making you wait too much longer. **


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: I'm not even going to apologize anymore. There's no point. I sound like a broken record…. A broken record that takes too long to update. I haven't forgotten about you. I really haven't. Like the horrible person I am, I still haven't seen the last half of this past season… hence my muse disappearing. But I'm finally all graduated and have time on my hands so I will be catching up soon. I just introduced my friend to TVD so I have been rewatching season one with her. It has helped my muse. Plus still getting emails begging me to update has helped : ) Thank you to those who haven't given up on me. Especially Klaroline Forever for the review that motivated me to finish this chapter and start the next one.

Just a short note about this chapter: It consists of Elena's notes to Damon in the grimoire once he goes back to the present time. The first couple of entries document the events of last chapter. Also the countdown of days is the time till the new moon. I hope it all makes sense. Please enjoy!

**Previously on the Vampire Diaries:**

"_I told you that it was nothing," Damon pleaded. "My father wanted us to be hospitable. She means nothing to me. Doesn't it prove that you are the one that I really want if I'm asking for this from you?"_

_Damon sounded almost desperate and it didn't take me long to understand the topic of their discussion. He had made the decision to take her blood. Whether he really wanted it or needed to feel as though he wanted it I didn't know. I did know, however, that I couldn't stand here and listen to this any longer. My thirst had vanished and now all I longed for was to burry my head under my pillow. I never wanted to hear their voices together again. _

_I childishly stuck my fingers in my ears as I slowly crept along the hallway, praying that I wouldn't find another noisy board. Before I had made it even halfway to my room, my foot felt a floorboard give and it moaned loudly through the house. _

"_What was that?" Katherine's whisper came from two doors down. _

"_Probably just the wind," Damon's voice came, clearly distracted. _

_There was a shift of sheets and a clear sound of Damon's aggravated sigh as Katherine's attention drifted to the noise she had heard in the hallway._

"_Check," Katherine demanded. _

_There was grumbling and then the sound of bare feet of the hard wood floor. My heart beat in my chest as I frantically tried to decide if I could make it to my room before he opened the door. Before I could make a decision, the bedroom door creaked open and Damon stood shirtless not five feet away from me. _

_His eyes registered surprise as he looked at me. They were sad and soft—almost as if he had woken from a dream to find me waiting for him instead of the woman whose room he was now in. His lips parted as if to say something, but he stopped as he saw me staring at the crimson marks that traced the curve of his neck and the smudge of blood on his lower lip. He lifted his hand and brushed his index finger against his lips, pulling it away to see the blood that lingered there. _

_As he looked back up at me, I saw something in his eyes that made my heart ache. It was almost as if he were silently begging for my forgiveness or maybe even my help—as if the events that were unfolding before him where swallowing him without any regard to what he actually wanted. _

"_Damon?" Katherine's voice came from the bedroom. "What was it?"_

_His head whipped around in the direction of Katherine's voice. Hesitating only momentarily, he turned toward the bedroom and took a step in the direction that was ultimately going to decide his fate. _

"_Nothing," he said. "Must have been the wind."_

**Chapter 15**

Damon drew the red pen across the calendar as he marked off another day. It had been two full weeks since he had seen Elena. If he closed his eyes he could still feel her soft lips against his.

Shaking the image from his head, Damon looked mournfully at the calendar hanging on the wall. Seven more days. He didn't know how he could wait seven more days to hold Elena safely in his arms again. Every moment she was away he thought of the danger she was in. 1864 was not a quiet year in the Salvatore household.

Sighing, Damon walked across his room and pulled Bonnie's grimoire from his bedside table. He didn't go far without it these days. Since he had made contact with Elena, she had written in it multiple times each day, keeping true to the promise she had made to him. Now as another day drew to a close, he once again flipped through the grimoire's heavy pages as he waited for sleep to come.

21 days

_All evening I have been replaying your words over and over in my head, telling myself that you love me. This has been the hardest night of my life. After everything that we have been through since you have come into my life, this has been the hardest. Telling you that I don't love you. But I know it's for the best. And I did it for you. It's killing me that we have to wait three weeks to see each other again, when the past two hours since you left have felt like a thousand years… I'm going to try to get some sleep. _

_My hand is shaking as I write this. I just had the most horrible dream. I was stuck between time. You couldn't see me, and you thought I was dead. But then when you did see me…. It was horrible. I need a drink to calm my nerves. _

_You believed me._

_You love her. _

_I don't know if I can do this…._

17 days

_I've never felt so alone. You won't even look at me across the dinner table anymore. Although, I don't blame you. The worst part about it is that you don't even look mad. Mad I could handle. Furious I could handle. Instead you look defeated, like everything that you cared for was taken from you. The only time you smile is when you're with her, but it's not the smile that I know. The smile that I saw when you kissed me by the falls or when you held me close at the Lockwood's. It's fake. Strained. I can see the effort that you have to put into it to make it believable. Oh God, I hope it's believable. _

12 days

_I never imagined things the way they really were when I heard stories about your past. Every day I have to watch you bend to her wishes, following her around, when I know the man you will become. It's so hard not to take it all back. To tell you that you don't love her and that she will just cause you pain in the end. I know you hate to hear it, but you have become a better person. I believe that even more now that I've seen all your different sides. The Damon who thinks he is hopelessly in love with the vampire. The vampire Damon who shuts out the world to block the pain caused by that love. And the Damon who I love now. The one that loves harder and more intently than anyone I have ever know. The one that makes me feel safe. The one I should have loved a long time ago. I like that Damon best. _

9 days

_I can't wait for the next week and a half to be over. My nerves are constantly on edge. Katherine is getting progressively worse. I can almost taste her hatred in the air. I try to stay away from you to curb her suspicions. I don't want her to see the longing in my eyes when I see her with you. The worst part of all of this is that you're leaving in a few days with your father and Stefan. You'll be hunting all day, and I will be alone with her. Even when you aren't talking to me, I feel safer with you in the house. I'm so afraid of her, Damon, and what she might do. _

A/N: Well I hope that it was worth the wait. I know it was short, but the next chapter is almost done and it should be up by the end of this week or early next week. I'm hoping sooner rather than later. Please let me know what you thought. I thought it was just a nice way to move the story along two weeks :)

Also the story is coming to an end soon. I'm really sad. I'm am juggling two different ways to end it. Actually I have been contemplating the two since the story started. One calls for a sequel. What do you guys think? Would you like to keep reading this? Or would you like an up to date with the series fic… once I catch up with the show that is… (Please don't message me any spoilers that happened since Christmas haha) Let me know what you think!

Also excuse any typos! Thanks!


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Thank you for all the wonderful reviews! It is amazing for me to see the number of reviews grow so much with each chapter. You truly are my inspiration. This chapter is longer than the last one…. And things really start to pick up. I hope you enjoy!**

Previously on the Vampire Diaries:

_As I shut the heavy pages of the grimoire, the door to my room opened behind me. My heart raced in my chest, and I closed my eyes as I listened to Damon's quiet steps on the floorboards, a high creak as he stepped where I had learned not to. Suddenly, his lips were on my neck as he pulled me from the chair I was sitting in. _

_I stood and leaned into his embrace, resting my forehead on his, our noses barely touching as he leaned down to me. My breath hitched in my throat as I felt his fingers nimbly started to undo my dress. _

"_Are you sure?" he asked carefully, beckoning over to the glowing lamp that had been my signal. _

"_I have never been more sure of anything in my life," I replied, glancing quickly back to the grimoire on my desk, smiling at the thought of what Damon might be remembering over a century from now…_

…_."I told you that it was nothing," Damon pleaded. "My father wanted us to be hospitable. She means nothing to me. Doesn't it prove that you are the one that I really want if I'm asking for this from you?"_

_Damon sounded almost desperate and it didn't take me long to understand the topic of their discussion. He had made the decision to take her blood. Whether he really wanted it or needed to feel as though he wanted it I didn't know. I did know, however, that I couldn't stand here and listen to this any longer. My thirst had vanished and now all I longed for was to burry my head under my pillow. I never wanted to hear their voices together again….._

…_I can't wait for the next week and a half to be over. My nerves are constantly on edge. Katherine is getting progressively worse. I can almost taste her hatred in the air. I try to stay away from you to curb her suspicions. I don't want her to see the longing in my eyes when I see her with you. The worst part of all of this is that you're leaving in a few days with your father and Stefan. You'll be hunting all day, and I will be alone with her. Even when you aren't talking to me, I feel safer with you in the house. I'm so afraid of her, Damon, and what she might do…_

**Chapter 16**

One… Two… Three… Four…

Just as I reached five in my mind, the thunder clapped menacingly in the distance. The storm was getting closer. I could smell the oncoming rain in the air. It was then that I closed my eyes, reflecting back so many years ago.

"One, two, three, four" I had said, as I counted the time between the flash of lightening and the following clap of thunder.

When the boom finally came I jumped from my seat by the window and ran to my mother's side as she continued to mix the giant tub of cake batter. Her gentle laugh filled the air and she bent down to look in my eyes.

"What number did you get to this time, pumpkin?"

"Four," I responded with a slight tremble in my voice. "One more than last time."

"And you know what that means, don't you?"

"That it's going away?"

A comforting smile crossed her lips then as she nodded.

"See? Nothing to be afraid of! The storm will be over before you know it."

It was then that my mother hugged me tightly and all my fears vanished away.

Sitting there in the Salvatore's backyard I counted just as I did then. I wasn't afraid of storms anymore, but I couldn't help but feel an ominous shadow passing over my heart. The last few weeks had almost been unbearable. Damon wouldn't even look at me and something in Katherine's eyes told me that I wouldn't be welcome here for very much longer. As the days passed I became more and more frightened of what she might do if she grew tired of my presence. The stress and the worry led me to feel sick to my stomach almost daily now. I could barely sit through dinner with her sitting across from me—watching my every move. The only thing I had to keep me company was the grimoire and my one-sided conversations with Damon.

I wrote to him every day. Multiple times a day actually. I told him everything. How we had fallen in love. The day at the falls. The Lockwoods ball. The only thing I couldn't bring myself to write about was our night together after the ball. It seemed too special to put down on paper. It was something that I wanted to share with him in person.

As I wrote, I imagined that he responded, dreamt of the words he would say in return. I envisioned his words on the blank parts of the page comforting me, telling me that the awful things I had said to him the night I turned him away didn't matter now. That it was all for the better.

Sitting in the lawn now, I traced my hand ever so lightly onto the page. Running the tip of the pen around the peaks and valleys of my fingers, picturing Damon's fingers entwining in mine in just a few short days.

As a began to trace my thumb again a sharp bolt of lightening cut through the sky and the boom of the thunder reverberated through my chest. The pen streaked across the page in a startled jerk, and as I looked into the sky, cool raindrops began to fall on my face.

Despite the approaching storm, I reluctantly rose to my feet and began to gather my things to take back into the house with me. The Salvatores were still on their hunting trip, and although the rain would bring them back early, I was not looking forward to spending even a short time with Katherine. Just the thought made my stomach turn.

As the rain picked up, I dashed to the house, covering the precious grimoire as I ran.

When I finally made it though the back door and into the sitting room, I was drenched. Panting from the sprint to the house, I stopped for a moment to catch my breath when I heard Katherine's voice as her footsteps headed toward me.

"I swear, Emily, he is just a pathetic little boy. It was so easy to get him to agree to lie to the counsel. I don't even have to try anymore. Stefan on the other hand…"

Just as she said this, Katherine walked into the sitting room and saw me standing in the door. My heart beat rapidly in my chest from fear, but her hurtful words about the man I loved cut deep. I had to bite my tongue to stop from returning her hatred.

A snarky smile spread over Katherine's lips as she saw my distress. I silently cursed my emotions and speeding heart for giving so much away. With no Salvatores to protect me I needed to mask any response that Katherine tried to get out of me.

"And if it isn't the little tramp that tried to get into his bed," she prodded, clearly looking for any admission of guilt.

Emily stiffened at Katherine's insult but stayed silent. I prayed that I could do the same.

I knew that I just needed to stay quiet, not fuel her anger, and pray that the Salvatores returned home from their hunting trip soon. I only needed to put up with her remarks and glares for seven more days.

Averting her eyes, I quickly pushed past her and managed to make it up the stairs before I heard her laughter from the floor below.

"Not that even he would be desperate enough to have anything to do with that filth," Katherine said to Emily just loud enough for me to hear.

Even though I knew that she only said it to hurt me, my eyes stung with tears as I leaned against the wooden banister at the top of the stairs. The urge to scream bubbled up inside me, and I had to stop myself from punching the wall.

"That's what you think," I mumbled to myself. "If you only knew…"

Before I could even gather myself together to retire to my room until the Salvatores returned, I felt myself flying through the hallway. It wasn't until I felt myself crash down on the wooden floor that I realized Katherine had heard me from the floor below.

I scrambled to my knees, my mind desperately telling me to look for something to make into a stake before she could reach me again, but I was too late.

Her hand clamped around my throat as she picked me up and slammed me against the wall, shattering the glass in a picture frame beside me as it fell.

"What did you say?" she screamed.

Her eyes flooded red and the veins blackened and bulged under the soft skin of her eyes.

"I asked you a question, you bitch! What did you say?"

I screamed in pain as she tightened her grip, her nails drawing blood. With her other hand she ripped at my necklace, throwing it behind her as she looked deep into my eyes.

"Please," I muttered. "Please, don't."

She cut me off as she pushed her weight into my throat, cutting off my airway completely.

"Tell me if you have slept with Damon," she hissed.

My mind went fuzzy then and no matter how hard I tried to keep the word from escaping my lips I heard myself rasp, "yes."

The next thing I knew I could breathe again. Katherine's hand was no longer around my throat and suddenly I was weightless. It was the landing that bought me back to reality. My arm hitting the last few stairs, the hard wooden floor at the bottom, and the sickening crack accompanied by a searing pain in my stomach.

I tried to push myself up but my arm felt like it was in an endless hole. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't lift my body up. I thought that I would lie there forever, until I heard the sound of horses on the road outside the house.

It was then that I heard Emily's shaking voice and remembered that she had been there the whole time.

"Master Giuseppe and his son's are home Katherine," she almost cried. "What are we going—"

Katherine growled at her words, and I heard her steps cross the wooded floor to look out the window.

"Damn it, Emily. Get her upstairs," she hissed. "I will deal with her later."

**A/N: Things are picking up! Haha I hope you like the chapter. I had a lot of fun writing it. I'm a horrible person and LOVE chapters like this. Please let me know what you think! **


	17. Chapter 17

A/N: Well my story is drawing to a close. We are in the last few chapters now. Hopefully this chapter will clear up some questions that many of you have raised while reading this story. I would say that there are going to be anywhere from one to three more chapters to finish it up so stay posted! I hope you enjoy the chapter :)

Previously on the Vampire Diaries:

"_That's what you think," I mumbled to myself. "If you only knew…"_

_Before I could even gather myself together to retire to my room until the Salvatores returned, I felt myself flying through the hallway. It wasn't until I felt myself crash down on the wooden floor that I realized Katherine had heard me from the floor below._

_I scrambled to my knees, my mind desperately telling me to look for something to make into a stake before she could reach me again, but I was too late. _

_Her hand clamped around my throat as she picked me up and slammed me against the wall, shattering the glass in a picture frame beside me as it fell._

"_What did you say?" she screamed. _

_Her eyes flooded red and the veins blackened and bulged under the soft skin of her eyes. _

"_I asked you a question, you bitch! What did you say?"_

_I screamed in pain as she tightened her grip, her nails drawing blood. With her other hand she ripped at my necklace, throwing it behind her as she looked deep into my eyes. _

"_Please," I muttered. "Please, don't."_

_She cut me off as she pushed her weight into my throat, cutting off my airway completely. _

"_Tell me if you have slept with Damon," she hissed. _

_My mind went fuzzy then and no matter how hard I tried to keep the word from escaping my lips I heard myself rasp, "yes."_

_The next thing I knew I could breathe again. Katherine's hand was no longer around my throat and suddenly I was weightless. It was the landing that bought me back to reality. My arm hitting the last few stairs, the hard wooden floor at the bottom, and the sickening crack accompanied by a searing pain in my stomach._

_I tried to push myself up but my arm felt like it was in an endless hole. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't lift my body up. I thought that I would lie there forever, until I heard the sound of horses on the road outside the house. _

_It was then that I heard Emily's shaking voice and remembered that she had been there the whole time. _

"_Master Giuseppe and his son's are home Katherine," she almost cried. "What are we going—"_

_Katherine growled at her words, and I heard her steps cross the wooded floor to look out the window._

"_Damn it, Emily. Get her upstairs," she hissed. "I will deal with her later."_

Chapter 17

Damon held his hand against the outline of Elena's that had appeared in the grimoire less than an hour ago. His strong fingers covered the drawing of her petite ones entirely, except for one stray, jagged line that jutted out from the tracing. One stray line that that made his stomach fill with fear. One stray line that looked so unplanned, as if something had startled her as she traced the contours of her fingers. It was while contemplating this line that Damon's attention was drawn by his front door opening suddenly.

Damon jumped slightly as his attention was suddenly brought away from his thoughts to the door where Katherine stood looking conflicted. He could feel the anger coming off of her in waves, but underneath of that there was the tiniest bit of worry.

Before Damon could say a thing, Katherine spoke.

"You slept with her," she said accusingly, sadness mixed with anger in her voice.

Damon shook his head in confusion.

"Katherine, what are you talking about?"

"I knew that she was going to mess everything up," she continued without responding to his question. "The doppelgänger will be dead, Stefan won't come to mystic falls, who knows what else will change!"

Damon rose from the sofa then and took ahold of Katherine arms tightly.

"What do you mean the doppelgänger will be dead? What's wrong with Elena?"

"Oh nothing, other than the fact that she can't keep her slutty little hands to herself," Katherine responded bitterly. "You slept together, Damon, and now I'm going to kill her."

Katherine's words stunned Damon momentarily. They had slept together? When? Why hadn't Elena said something?

It was only after this flood of thoughts that Damon registered the more threatening part of what Katherine had said. She was going to kill her.

"Wh—What do you mean you're going to kill her?!" Damon stammered

"Apparently I already threw her down the stairs. The only reason I didn't snap her little neck was because you came home."

Damon shook his head, trying to deny what Katherine was telling him. There were only seven days until the new moon, after all of this time why did this have to happen now?

"You have to stop yourself!" he argued. "You can't do that!"

Katherine laughed at his plea.

"I'm just as helpless in all of this as you are, Damon."

Frustrated, Damon pulled his cell from his pocket and quickly dialed Bonnie's number. After three rings, Bonnie's voice came from the other end.

"Hel—"

"Bonnie, Elena's in trouble," he interrupted quickly. "If we don't do something, she is going to die."

Damon heard her gasp.

"Tell me everything," she responded immediately.

Grabbing the grimoire from the sitting room coffee table, Damon headed out the door and straight to Bonnie's house. Explaining what Katherine had told him on the way.

I breathed in sharply as Emily placed a warm rag over the deep cut above my eyebrow. I must have looked like Hell, but she did her best to stay calm as set me gently on my bed and tended to what she could.

Other than the cut on my forehead, my stomach screamed in pain every time I breathed, and I couldn't move my left arm. Yet despite everything, I knew that it could be a lot worse. If the Salvatores had come home just a few minutes later, I could be dead.

"Emily," I said past the pain in my stomach. "What are we going to do? There's still seven more days until the new moon. I won't live seven days in this house."

Emily did not argue with this statement, nor did she keep the worry from flooding her features. Shaking her head she sat beside me on the side of the bed. The slight movement shot pain through my ribs and into my stomach again.

"We'll have to do the spell early," she responded.

"Isn't that dangerous?"

"Yes," she said solemnly. "But there isn't much else we can do, Miss. Elena. I can have the spell ready by tonight. Just stay in this room until I come for you."

On her way out, Emily grabbed her grimiore to prepare for the spell. In its place she left a single wooden stake.

"Use this only to protect yourself if I fail you," she explained before leaving the room and closing the door behind her.

Downstairs, Giuseppe and his sons put their rifles in the gun cabinet and their hunting supplies away. Hungry from a long morning of pheasant hunting, Giuseppe called for a quick lunch to be prepared and everyone was soon seated around the table.

It did not take long for Elena's presence to be missed. After taking a large helping of potatoes from the center of the table, Giuseppe's forehead crinkled as he asked where the other Ms. Pierce had gotten to.

"She's ill," Katherine responded sharply.

The elder Mr. Salvatore frowned as Damon's ears perked up.

"Well once I have had my fill, I shall be sure to bring some food to her room. The cook did a fine job on today's lunch, and I wouldn't want her to miss out over a small cold."

"No," Katherine almost shouted. All three of the Salvatore men looked up at her then, clearly confused—a look of concern passed over the elder brother's face as he saw the flash of sudden fear in Katherine's eyes.

"She's asked that she be left alone for the day," she continued, recovering her composure. "She would feel horrible if someone else caught cold on her account."

Katherine looked from each of the men sitting at the table with her, hoping her lie would suffice. She would have to continue her lies and possibly compel them all to clean up the mess she was about to make of the girl upstairs, but she wanted to be as careful as possible. The town's people were already getting suspicious.

Giuseppe, although clearly still worried about his guest, nodded in agreement, saying that he hoped that she would be well enough to attend the Fell's ball the following week. Stefan seemed to take what she said as truth as always, nodding quickly and agreeing with his father.

Damon on the other hand was the one who worried her. Now that she had proof that his allegiances were elsewhere, at least at one time, she questioned every move he made, every nod of the head or glance of the eye. She watched him closely for a few seconds longer, growing concerned with the look of worry on his face.

Once Katherine had eaten enough to be acceptable, she politely asked to be excused. Giuseppe smiled kindly as she left the table, not knowing that she was hurrying off to meet with Emily to discuss the "problem" that was unfortunately still alive upstairs.

Rising from the table a few minutes later, Giuseppe asked his boys to follow him to the stables where their fresh kills from their morning hunting trip waited to be prepared.

Stefan rose eagerly to help his father, but Damon excused himself, telling them that he would be outside momentarily.

Once his father and brother where out the door, Damon quickly searched the surrounding rooms for Katherine. Not seeing her, he quickly but quietly climbed the stairs and rapped lightly on Elena's door. Not hearing a response, he slowly began to push it open.

Emily had only been gone for a little less then an hour, but already I was restless. I was so afraid that Katherine would burst in at any moment and finish me off. Sitting didn't help my anxiety. I had tried to leave my bed multiple times to sit by the window, hoping it would help pass the time, but all it did was add to the pain in my ribs. All I could do was sit and wait.

It was then that I heard a small knock at my bedroom door. It was almost too delicate to hear. Before I could answer, the door started to creak open. Counting on the fact that Katherine would never be so cautious, I spoke.

"Emily?"

But it was not Emily who came through the door. Damon's raven hair emerged from the other side of the door, and then his ice blue eyes. When he whispered my name I wished that he would leave and come closer all at the same time.

A look of worry flooded his features as he stepped in the door, and I realized that I had suddenly forgotten why I was hiding out in my room to begin with. My pain had floated away and all I could focus on was his voice. He was talking to me for the first time in weeks and all I wanted to do was cry.

He crossed the room quickly then, his hand extended, reaching out to cradle my face. His fingers brushed the cut above my eye as he whispered my name again.

"Elena, what happened?"

Before, I could even begin to fabricate some sort of lie, he sat beside me, moving the mattress beneath us just enough to jostle the bed slightly and send searing pain through my ribs.

"Elena," he said again, this time much more sternly, anger starting to build as he saw the state I was in.

"It's nothing," I started. "It's—"

"Nothing—" he almost hissed. "Elena, you look like death. You can't move without pain. You're face—"

I put my hand over his as his thumb lightly traced my brow.

"Please don't tell," I croaked, a lump building in my throat. I knew that I sounded like a child who was hiding something I had done wrong, but I couldn't pull more people into this. If all went well, I would be gone by nightfall. No one else had to know what had happened.

Damon looked at me with pity in his eyes, but his features suddenly hardened as realization hit him.

"This was Katherine wasn't it?" His words almost seemed to thunder though the room.

"Damon—"

"She did this, didn't she?"

He stood now. Pacing back and forth along side the bed

"She knows, Damon," I tried to explain, keeping my voice low and my ears peeled for any noise in the corridor outside my room. "She compelled me to tell her if we had been together. There was nothing I could do."

Damon stopped his pacing as he heard the quiver in my voice. Kneeling beside my bed, he took my hand and looked into my eyes.

"This is not your fault. I should have known Katherine would find out," he said with anger in his voice. "She will be the one to pay for what she's done to you. We are innocent in this."

He stood to leave the room with determination, and I suddenly realized what he planned to do. He was going to confront Katherine.

"Damon!" I gasped, reaching out and grabbing for his hand again as he turned away.

When he turned to face me again, I could see rage boiling the usually cool lakes of blue that were his eyes. I could see the hate behind them. The hate, the misery, and everything else that Katherine had brought into his life.

"Please don't do anything rash," I pleaded. "Emily is going to—"

Before I could tell him Emily's plan to send me back home, Damon cut me off.

An almost hysterical laugh escaped his lips.

"Rash? Look what she's done to you, Elena! She deserves to die a thousand deaths for this."

This time as Damon headed out the door, he did not turn to listen to my pleas. He stopped only briefly as he took the wooden stake sitting in place of the grimoire, and then slammed the door behind him.

"Damon!"

It hurt to scream his name, but it was all I could think to do to stop him. It was pointless keep quiet, as I heard his footsteps charging down the stairs as he bellowed Katherine's name.

Taking shallow breathes and using all of my strength to push myself out of bed, I followed him. I held my side as searing pain shot through my stomach. As I made my way into the hallway, I could hear crashing and shouting from the floor below. Damon's voice was fearless and angry, while Katherine's was laced with venom and hatred.

When I had finally made it to the edge of the stairs, I was out of breath. Black spots started to cloud my vision, but I was determined to make it down the stairs. From my position on the second floor, I could just see down into the main entrance of the sitting room.

Damon sat on the floor, shaking his head from Katherine's latest blow. The only stake he had foolishly brought to defend himself lay almost ten feet away.

Tears rolled down my cheeks as I slowly gained the strength to start descending the stairs. One by one. I had only made it down three when Katherine came into view.

"Did you really think you could kill me?" Katherine almost cackled, kicking the stake even farther from his gasp. "You're weak! And loving that tramp has made you even weaker."

Katherine knelt down beside Damon then, wiping blood from a cut on his lower lip. Her touch was almost motherly then, and when she spoke again her tone was much more kind.

"I thought you wanted what I could give you? You were supposed to love me. We could have all been so happy together."

She stopped then, waiting for a response.

Damon gritted his teeth and spit blood in her face. Gasping, Katherine backed away.

"I could never love you after what I've seen you do!"

Even from where I stood I could see the veins beneath her eyes, and as many times I had seen this in the past, she had never looked as vicious as she looked then. With one quick movement she had Damon pinned to the wall, the plaster cracking behind him.

"Oh, how sorry you are going to be for saying that," Katherine said smiling, licking Damon's blood from her lips.

"Please, stop!"

The words had escaped my mouth before I could stop them. Both Katherine and Damon's eyes turned toward me then, sitting halfway down the stairs, crying from a mixture of terror and pain.

"Please, Katherine," I begged, not knowing what else to do. "Don't kill him."

Katherine's smile grew bigger as she tightened her grip on Damon's throat, holding him inches above the ground.

"Oh look, an audience. How wonderful," Katherine almost seemed giddy with delight. "Unfortunately, you have it all wrong, Elena. I'm not killing him. I've worked far to hard to get the Salvatore boys under my thumb. I will have their love despite your interferences."

"It isn't love if you have to force it," Damon rasped from beneath Katherine's grip.

Katherine glared at Damon then, pushing the palm of her hand into his throat so he couldn't speak.

"We'll see about that," Katherine hissed. Then turning her attention to the far end of the room she said, "Emily, once this is all taken care of, return Elena to her room. I will be up as soon as I convince every last Salvatore that Ms. Peirce never existed.

Emily quietly muttered a response and came into view, crossing the room and coming towards the staircase as Katherine turned back to Damon.

"You know what is so great about having someone who loves you?" she spat in his ear. "They trust you. And when their daddy gives them vervain they turn it away like good little boys should."

Damon struggled beneath Katherine's grasp, but he could not free himself. Tears streamed down my face as I watched, helpless to do anything else.

"You will forget everything about Elena. She never came to live with your family. You're feelings for me have never waivered," Katherine said evenly, eyes staring intently into Damon's.

Damon grew still then, his eyes dilated as Katherine planted her lies in his mind. For a moment she turned to look in my direction, at the quivering mass I had become as I watched him forget everything that we had shared—as I watched him become that man that she wanted him to be. A smile grew on her lips as she turned to look in his eyes again, making sure that she was understood, she said with clarity:

"You never loved her."

A/N: Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it. Thank you for all the wonderful reviews and sticking with me all this time. Please let me know what you thought of this chapter.


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: So it is agreed. Everyone hates Katherine. At least we are all on the same page! There is some explaining that I must do. I meant to mention this in the A/N of the last chapter, but I was so excited to get the chapter up that it completely slipped my mind….**

**I have had the basic plot line and conclusion of this story set in my mind since it originally came to be. Unfortunately, I started writing the story before it dawned on me that it logistically couldn't work. Damon, of course, would remember everything that happened with Elena and Katherine the moment he was turned into a vampire. Well, the plot was decided on, people like the story, and I am stubborn so I didn't want to change my idea. It is because of this that he will not remember (sorry guys). There are too many changes and "what-if's" that would occur if he did. So for the premise of this story, you do not get your memories back when you transition. Thanks for understanding :) **

**Also there is some brief stong language in this chapter… so ya. Be warned.**

**Previously on the Vampire Diaries…**

"_I could never love you after what I've seen you do!"_

_Even from where I stood I could see the veins beneath her eyes, and as many times I had seen this in the past, she had never looked as vicious as she looked then. With one quick movement she had Damon pinned to the wall, the plaster cracking behind him. _

"_Oh, how sorry you are going to be for saying that," Katherine said smiling, licking Damon's blood from her lips. _

"_Please, stop!"_

_The words had escaped my mouth before I could stop them. Both Katherine and Damon's eyes turned toward me then, sitting halfway down the stairs, crying from a mixture of terror and pain. _

"_Please, Katherine," I begged, not knowing what else to do. "Don't kill him."_

_Katherine's smile grew bigger as she tightened her grip on Damon's throat, holding him inches above the ground. _

"_Oh look, an audience. How wonderful," Katherine almost seemed giddy with delight. "Unfortunately, you have it all wrong, Elena. I'm not killing him. I've worked far to hard to get the Salvatore boys under my thumb. I will have their love despite your interferences." _

"_It isn't love if you have to force it," Damon rasped from beneath Katherine's grip. _

_Katherine glared at Damon then, pushing the palm of her hand into his throat so he couldn't speak._

"_We'll see about that," Katherine hissed. Then turning her attention to the far end of the room she said, "Emily, once this is all taken care of, return Elena to her room. I will be up as soon as I convince every last Salvatore that Ms. Peirce never existed._

_Emily quietly muttered a response and came into view, crossing the room and coming towards the staircase as Katherine turned back to Damon._

"_You know what is so great about having someone who loves you?" she spat in his ear. "They trust you. And when their daddy gives them vervain they turn it away like good little boys should."_

_Damon struggled beneath Katherine's grasp, but he could not free himself. Tears streamed down my face as I watched, helpless to do anything else._

"_You will forget everything about Elena. She never came to live with your family. You're feelings for me have never waivered," Katherine said evenly, eyes staring intently into Damon's._

_Damon grew still then, his eyes dilated as Katherine planted her lies in his mind. For a moment she turned to look in my direction, at the quivering mass I had become as I watched him forget everything that we had shared—as I watched him become that man that she wanted him to be. A smile grew on her lips as she turned to look in his eyes again, making sure that she was understood, she said with clarity:_

"_You never loved her."_

**Chapter **

The sun beaming down on Bonnie's back patio contrasted with the emotions flooding through the three people sitting around the table.

Damon had thought it was imperative that Katherine stay with them while they desperately searched for any last minute ways to bring Elena back before she was killed. Bonnie, still adamant that Katherine not be invited in, had agreed to meet on the back porch.

For the last half an hour, the trio had sat, feeling useless, after a very clear message appeared in the grimoire.

Elena will be arriving ahead of schedule. There has been a problem. Please be alert for her arrival in your time. Do not try to interfere.

Hoping all goes well,

Emily

Despite Emily's obvious instruction that they should wait, Damon and Bonnie were on edge, feeling as though they should be doing so much more.

"I don't understand why you can't just send me back," Damon argued for what seemed like the hundredth time.

"The spell is complicated, Damon," Bonnie replied, scanning the worn pages of the grimoire in front of her. It took us at least two hours to prepare it last time, and I had everything I needed then. We just don't have time. Plus, Emily's right. We can't interfere. The spell to get her back here will be tricky enough since she has to do it early. If magic is pushing from both ends, it could be disastrous."

Damon groaned in frustration and turned to look at Katherine.

For the last hour she had been eerily silent, staring intently at the table in front of her as she focused on memories that seemed to be flooding back. The last thing she had relayed to them was that dinner was finishing up and soon the Salvatore's would be out of the house, cleaning their recent kills.

"Your father wants to check on Elena. I told him she was ill," Katherine blurted out suddenly, making Bonnie jump and every muscle in Damon's body tense.

"He believes me," she continued slowly, as if watching for something very closely. Looking up at Damon, she shook her head slightly. "You don't."

"Dammit, Bonnie! She's going to kill her any minute now. Do something!" Damon nearly screamed.

Bonnie flinched, her eyes misting over, threatening to overflow with tears.

"I can't! I'm just as helpless as you in all of this," she yelled back. "Emily told us to sit tight and that's what we are going to do. I'm not going to be the reason Elena gets stuck somewhere in between then and now."

"But you will be the reason that she gets killed before Emily can do the fucking spell," he spat back at her, rising to his feet. "I can help her if you send me back Bonnie. Her death is on your head!"

Bonnie stood now as well, pushing her chair away from her and staring up into Damon's hard eyes.

"I told you we don't have enough time. Emily said—"

"We would have had enough time if you had done what you should have instead of listening to your stupid ancestors!" Damon roared back.

Bonnie opened her mouth to counter his argument, when Katherine's voice caught them both off guard. It was controlled and quiet, but it commanded their attention.

"Someone's coming down the stairs."

Both Bonnie and Damon turned from where they were standing, eyes wide. Watching as Katherine continued her intense stare at the glass table in front of her.

"It's Damon. He's—You're accusing me of hurting Elena. I'm laughing," she relayed as she continued to remember. "You pulled a stake out and charged me." She paused. "I threw you across the room."

Damon winced reflexively, and Bonnie slowly returned to her seat as she listened to what Katherine was telling them.

"You—you said you don't love me and spit in my face." Katherine's brown creased in either frustration or concentration. "Elena's on the steps, she's crying, telling me not to hurt you…"

A strangled, helpless cry escaped Damon's lips. He felt powerless as he listened, waiting for Katherine to tell him the inevitable—that she killed Elena. Katherine must have expected the same thing, because surprise registered in her face as she continued to speak.

"You're not on vervain," she almost gasped, as if remembering a long lost fact from the past "I'm compelling you. You won't remember her. You won't love her."

Damon's hands went to the sides of his head as a pained expression crossed his face. A roar grew from his chest and escaped his lips. Bonnie screamed as he toppled the table in front of them and the glass top shattered around them.

Katherine, unfazed by the crash around her, looked up at the man panting angrily in front her.

"I'm going to kill her," she said stoically. "After I convince the rest of your family she never existed."

Damon looked as though he had been punched in the gut as he slowly started to back pedal away from the mess he had made of the porch. He shook his head in denial as Katherine's words sunk in. He could hear Bonnie's quiet sobs, but all he could focus on was the walls closing in around him. Suddenly everything was entirely to close despite the open yard and sunshine around him.

"I-I can't listen to this anymore," he stammered.

Damon turned then. Bonnie and Katherine watched as he stormed away, trying desperately to escape the world that was crumbling around him.

**A/N: Well there you go.**


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